The Travelers
by BrattyLittleAngel
Summary: At her breaking point, Rose leaves the Moroi court, and quickly figures out the world wasn't as black and white as the Academy taught. And just as she starts to find her niche in this new world, her past comes back, forcing her to reexamine exactly where she belongs.
1. Chapter 1

_**Um, yeah. So I am on a VA kick at the moment, again, and this story has been bouncing around inside my head for awhile. Gonna be honest, I have never written a first-person narrative before. May be a little choppy here and there, so please bare with me. This is also my first VA fic, so again no tar and feathers if I get something wrong. Just a little shout out would be greatly appreciated. **_

_**This is gonna take place right after the "Love fades" comment at the church. This is before the death of the queen. **_

_**Hope you enjoy. **_

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**Chapter One**

So, what does one do when their heart is brutally ripped from their chest by a man they had sacrificed everything for? Or when the one and only constant in their life severs years of friendship and loyalty with the precision of a surgeon's knife? Worse, when both these crappy situations happened on the same day?

No, seriously? Because apparently going on a six-month bender through a few states was the wrong answer. Most people, the rational ones I suppose, don't go sneaking off in the middle of the night without a plan. But with the pain, and rage cutting through me . . . I was only focused on putting as much distance between me and the Moroi court as I could.

Now I'm not saying I overreacted, I am way too stubborn for that, but I suppose I could have been just a little less dramatic. It wasn't like I was being held prisoner at court, and all I had to do was just walk right out the gate. But no, in typical Rose Hathaway style I had to be some sort of avenging ninja and sneak off the grounds in the dead of the . . . well I guess day.

For six months I had gone undetected, had been left alone with my horrible attitude, and in one night I blew it out of the water. What seriously rubbed me the wrong way, I had been surrounded by Dhampirs, not just a few, but an entire bar of them, and had been way too wasted to know. In my defense, the bar had been dimly lit, and who could resist dollar margarita night? Me, I'm the person who hadn't been able to resist. The sound system was crap, but with enough low shelf tequila I had stopped caring by the third drink and had staggered to the dance floor to show off my moves.

And by moves, I mean drunken stumbling. Which somehow started a bar fight. I still couldn't recall exactly what happened. But one minute I was being pushed, the next I was ready to land what should've been a spectacular upper cut, only to be plucked up off the dance floor and hauled away to the office. Another low, to be manhandled and hauled away like I weighed less than a sack of flour. But I guess some of my bruised ego recovered a tad when my eyes landed on who was manhandling me.

The guy had been nearly as tall as _He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named_. So basically, he was a giant.

He'd introduced himself, and in turn I told him exactly where he could go, as I tried in vein to make it back to the door. Too bad the room decided to start spinning like a tilt-a-whirl at that very moment. After a few feeble attempts of trying to stand up from the chair, I mustered what I had left of my dignity and took the bottled water he was trying to kindly offer me.

That dignity, little I had left, fled quickly when the contents of the bottle and from that night came back up and right onto Duke Chapman's shoes.

Dollar margaritas may be okay going down, but coming back up they tasted rank.

"Oh come on." Looking down in utter disgust, Duke made a face, before slowly looking back up again. "Anyone tell you, you suck at accepting help?"

Not really sure if my stomach was done revolting; I had no other option then to nod my head.

Instead I tried to focus on him, as he toed his way out of his shoes, kicking them into the corner. When he was done, he eyed me again, as though he was trying to figure out what to do with me. "So what's a good Dhampir like you, doing in a place like this?"

This had sobered me up a bit, as his words turned my blood to ice. Steadying my gaze, I took in what was in front of me. He was tall, but I had already gathered that, but the longer I looked I was stunned to see, just like me he was a Dhampir as well.

His skin tone was nearly as dark as my own. He may have the height of _You-Know-Who_, but instead of douche bags bulk, he was structure was a tad bit more slender. His dark brown hair was in need of a good cut, but he got away with it due to his hair's natural wave. With his goatee, I guess he could be considered roguishly handsome.

"You might want to lay off the sauce for awhile." Duke smirked, shaking his head.

"I may actually take that advice." My throat felt raw, and another roll of nausea rolled through me.

"It's clear as day you aren't one of us, care to explain what brings you here to the Windy City?"

"Not really." This time my voice had been a little stronger.

Duke's expression softened, and dear lord above, I hated the pitying look on his face. "Do you have somewhere safe to go tonight?"

Again, I didn't have much to say, because I'm pretty sure he wouldn't consider the bedbug infested dive I was staying at safe.

Being much more sober than I currently was, he caught on pretty quick when I didn't answer. "Is anyone looking for you?"

For the life of me, I still don't understand why his words affected me like they did. Perhaps it wasn't exactly the words he spoke, but the way he looked at me. Besides the underlying pity, there was some sort of understanding, compassion maybe, of my current situation. What really struck me, was how he waited patiently, without a trace of judgment on his face.

But that didn't mean I was desperate enough to bare my soul to a complete stranger. Ready to tell him to mind his own business, the words got stuck, refusing to pass the lump in my throat. The tiny office grew unbearably hot and threatened to start spinning again. This time it wasn't so much the crappy margaritas, but my poorly neglected emotions I'd been shoving down and blatantly ignoring bursting through, taking both me and Duke by surprise.

Instead of telling him where to shove his unneeded sympathy and Good Samaritan act, I felt tears flood my eyes before flowing down my cheeks. After that, I hadn't been able to stop the utterly humiliating emotional break down. After months of avoiding the pain and utter betrayal I'd felt, they slammed into me, leaving me absolutely wrecked. As in ran over by a semi – that backed up, only to drive over me a few more times. The harder I tried to stop the tears – the more they came. I basically became every guy's worst nightmare.

But I had to give it to Duke, instead of shying away from the emotional train wreck that was currently me, he heaved a sigh and came to crouch down in front of my weeping form. "I had a feeling you were out of your element."

"What gave it away?" I gave a half-hearted snort, wiping my face on the paper towel he'd handed me.

"Listen, don't take this the wrong way." A wry smile tugged at his lips. "But you look like hell."

"Gee, aren't you a real charmer?" I wasn't really insulted, because my shit hole motel room did have a mirror.

"See you took it the wrong way." He smirked, wagging a finger at me. "I wasn't talking about your physical looks, which we both know are stunning, but I was referring to your emotional state. You are a mess, and somehow it's landed you here."

For whatever reason, after that night Duke had made me his special mission. Personally, I think it's because he's a nosy busybody, and just wanted to know my backstory. He claims it's because he'd been where I was. Had been destroyed in the past and had hit rock bottom as well. Either way he helped me, even if I didn't want his help, and I was soon employed. Sure it was at that dank, moldy smelling hole in the wall bar, The Gypsy, but it was either work there, or sell another piece of jewelry from my excursion in Russia.

"Are you going to just stand there?" Coming to stand next to me on the busy sidewalk, Duke folded his arms over his chest.

Giving the double doors in front of us one last look, before turning my gaze up to his, I felt my mouth pinch. "This is stupid."

"You know what's stupid?" He asked. "Me having to hold your hair back every night as you puke."

"I told you I don't have a drinking problem." I muttered, looking away from his gaze.

"Well you also don't have a sober problem either." He scoffed.

I knew he must think I'm some horrible lush, I mean how could he not? But in my desire to keep my past firmly behind me, I'd taken a page out of Adrian's book and started self-medicating. Alcohol helped weaken the bond between Lissa and I, while sleeping pills at night kept Adrian out of my head. Unlike Adrian, I wasn't a good drunk to be around. Actually, I was probably the worst day drunk in the world.

"I don't drink because I want to."

"Says every alcoholic." Rolling his eyes, he motioned toward the doors and waited for me to move.

He got to the door first and had it open before I even reached the sidewalk. Dragging my feet on purpose I should have anticipated his pushing me into the building before I could come up with another excuse to delay the inevitable. "I don't see why you can't let this drop."

"Because I made the mistake of introducing you to my wife, and for whatever reason, she seems to like you." Stopping in front of an elevator, he pushes the up button. "This is her idea."

I'd met his wife, Jennifer, a about a week after I puked all over Duke's converse. She was about my height; with the largest brown eyes I'd ever seen. Like Duke and I, she was also Dhampir. Through my buzz I had felt a moment of shock. Two Dhampirs, married?

If I'd been shocked to find two of our kind married, it was nothing compared to what I felt when I met their two children. A son and daughter who'd been born from two Dhampirs. I'm still puzzled over how that was even possible, but there was so much I was learning about the life outside Morio court that it was tough on my fermented brain to keep up.

"So who's this guy?"

"Jack." Stepping into the elevator, Duke made a face. "He's a pain in the ass, but Jennifer's friends with him."

"You really know how to inspire faith, don't you?" Feeling sullen, I followed him in and quickly used the back wall to lean against.

"Jack's not really that bad, he's just . . ." Pausing, his mouth pulled down in thought. "righteous. I'm just not into all that religious stuff."

My thoughts drifted to the last time I'd been in a church. "Can't argue with that."

"Rose I know this sucks. I don't even agree with it. But until you can trust us, you need to talk to someone."

"I'm buzzed and can see the problem with that logic."

"Yeah, but just think. After this we get to go back to my place and have some of Jen's homemade mac and cheese."

Jennifer's home cooking did sound pretty awesome.

Finally reaching the third floor, Duke waited for me to exit first before following. It was as if thought I'd make a run for it or something. Perhaps in my former life, I may have waited for him to step off before shutting the door after him. But right now, he had the advantage . . .he was sober.

Before I knew it, we were standing in what could be considered an ordinary office. A bland ordinary office, but it could've been the most elaborately decorated office and I still wouldn't want to be here.

"You must be Rose." Turning to look to the other side of the office I blinked a few times, trying to convince myself my eyes were working correctly. But no matter how many times I blinked, what I was seeing didn't disappear.

"You're an Alchemist." Can't say who was more shocked, me, the alchemist or Duke.

"I'm just gonna wait out there." Already moving toward the door, Duke gave Jack a look that almost looked apologetic.

"What?" I exclaimed, as he got to the door. "You're gonna just leave me alone with him?"

"Yes." Duke responded slowly. "That's pretty much how counseling sessions work." With that he was out the door and quickly shut it.

"So, first session?" Jack asked amused from his spot behind the desk.

Turning back I studied him for a quick minute. I could see what Duke had meant; he had that typical Alchemist righteous air about him. He kind of reminded me of Sydney when we first met, as he studied me back.

"Just so you know I've done this therapy thing before and it didn't really stick." Trying hard not to fold my arms over my chest, knowing it made me look defensive, I kept them at my sides. I was going for more of a nonchalant, casual thing. I may have pulled it off if I could have just stopped swaying.

"Just so you know, this isn't really a normal therapy session." He looked almost amused by my uneasy expression.

"You do realize that sounds rather creepy, right?"

"Just one of the many perks of my job." He responded dryly, opening one of the drawers of his desk and retrieved two vials of herbs. He dumped the first one into a glass of water and held it out to me. "Why don't you take a seat before you fall over?"

Looking over to the empty chair across from his desk, I took a moment before giving in and taking a seat. Looking at the glass, I narrowed my eyes. "What's that?"

"It's a quick working detox."

"What?"

"Think of it as Sober-Up potion." He sighed when I didn't respond. "Harry Potter? You can't take the second herb unless you're sober. On the plus side, your kidney's and liver will thank you for the reprieve."

Staring at the offered glass, I felt a moment of panic. "What's the second herb for?"

"You might want to be sober before I get into that." He sent me a dry smile, but his eyes still had a spark of amusement.

So, perhaps not like Sydney. She would've thrown out a few unholy demon barbs by now. While he on the other hand seemed to find my anxiety charming. I wanted to throw the contents of the glass in his face and march out of the office with my head held high.

Instead, I snatched the glass from him and chugged it down. I was choking by the time my taste buds had caught up. "That's vile."

"So is making it a habit to day drink." Jack threw back sounding like a typical righteous prick. "How're you feeling?"

It took a few seconds, but an odd sensation washed over me. The foggy feeling of my pickled brain evaporated, and the world around me seemed to come into brilliant focus. That part wasn't so bad, seeing I felt more in control of my body than I had in months. The part I wasn't thrilled over was how the bond seemed to poke at me, just slightly, but enough to remind me it was there. I had a feeling the longer I stayed sober, the stronger the bond would grow.

"Could be better." Handing back the glass, I watched as he poured water from a bottle before adding the other herbs. "Is that really necessary?"

"Are you willing to forgo months of pointless sessions and just get to the meat of your issues so we both can move on?" Jack challenged.

"Actually, I was looking forward to slinging a few sarcastic comments, eluding your questions and most likely not come back." I couldn't help the words, because I was only here to appease Duke and Jennifer.

"I assumed." Nodding in agreement, Jack sat back and stared at me intently. "But there's more on the line today than just helping you. We need to know if we can trust you."

"We?"

"That, we can get back to. But for now – ." Lifting the glass and holding out to me, Jack gave me a speculative look. "Either way you need help, whether you want it or not."

Eyeing the Alchemist concoction, a memory of a dark Russian alley, a dead strigoi, Sydney and her strange Alchemist concoction nagged at me from the back of my mind. Knowing my shit luck, the second glass Jack wanted me to drink would liquify my insides to goo. "What does it do?"

"Think of it as Veritaserum."

"That sludge is going to make me tell the truth?" Where the first glass had only had a slight brown tinge, the second had a gross green color.

"Ah, so you do know Harry Potter." He smiled wide at this.

I wanted to make some sort of comment on his virginal status, but my attention was too focused on the glass in front of me. If it could do what he was claiming, I could unload enough information to land me back in Morio court, and undoubtedly a nice life sentence in a certain Alaskan prison.

"People actually agree to drink that crap?" I could hear my own skepticism.

"Most of them do." Some of the amusement left his eyes.

"And whatever I say is confidential?" His mention of "we" was still repeating in my head.

"Yes."

Ah, I got him. "What about this "we"? Won't you be sharing information with them?"

I expected a startled look, or one that said "oh shit I've been caught". Instead he sat back and shrugged. "As for the "we", I just let them know if you're safe to share certain information with. I'm sure even in your inebriated state, you've got some questions."

Questions? Like a mostly Dhampir bar, that served patrons who weren't Guardians? Or Dhampir's being openly married. Then there was the biggest question of all – how in the world had two Dhampirs procreated?

"Rose, what do you have to lose?" Jack asked when I apparently took to long. "If I feel you're a risk you go back to drinking and working at The Gypsy."

"It's a stupid name for a bar." One would think that with the name Gypsy, the bar would be a little more interesting or even mysterious. Instead, it was one code inspection from being shut down.

A smirk tugged at Jack's lips. "So, what do you say?"

Letting out a long breath, I reached over and picked up the glass. "Why the hell not? But I'm warning you, if you're drugging me so you can sell me into some foul sex trafficking ring, I will kick your ass."

"Gee, you caught us." Rolling his eyes, Jack let out a dry laugh. "Whatever shall I do?"

If the first glass tasted rank, the second was like draining toxic slime. For a second I became frantic, thinking that perhaps my insides were going to turn into goo. But after a moment the taste receded.

"So, how'd that taste?" Moving around the desk, Jack took the empty glass from my trembling hand and sat it back down on his desk.

"Like you were trying to poison me." I wanted to say it tasted like something he found in a port-a-potty, but instead my fear of him harming me came out. What if this really was some seedy underground trafficking ring? Or, perhaps the Queen had put a price on my head for my little outburst at court.

He rolled his eyes again at this before returning to his seat. Picking up a pen his got down to business.

"For the record what is your legal name?"

"Rosemarie Hathaway." This time I wanted to answer just plain Rose, but instead felt compelled to give him my full given name.

This seemed to make him pause a moment. "So Rose is your real name?"

"Yes." He jotted down a few notes. "Why?"

"I find most use aliases." He answered. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

Sitting back in his chair, Jack looked thoughtful for a moment, before asking the next question. "Why are you in Chicago?"

A sarcastic comment, along the line of wanting to see what all the hype was about over some stupid hotdog started to form inside my head, instead I suddenly seized by word vomit. "I'm in Chicago because I got onto the wrong bus in Detroit."

Didn't mean to admit that and was starting to see how this truth drink thing was working.

A dry laugh escaped, as Jack jotted down a few lines. "So, you're from Detroit?"

"Nope." Huh, who knew this truth telling stuff would be so easy-peasy?

Chewing on his bottom lip, he took a moment to ask his next question. "What do you know about the attacks in Detroit?"

"What attacks?"

"The strigoi attacks." Talking slowly, as though I had a mental disability, I wanted to use my extraordinary use of sarcasm in retaliation.

"I didn't see any strigoi." I really hadn't. The functioning portion of my brain tried to recall my time in Motown. There had been another filthy motel, a handful of bars who didn't really care about serving someone underage, and a great greasy spoon dinner that served the best sausage biscuits and gravy.

"Interesting." Jotting down a few notes at this he took his sweet time before looking up. "Rose, why do you drink?"

Perhaps this wasn't going to be all that easy after all.

Opening my mouth, I found the words I did not want to say starting to form. Snapping my jaw together, I gripped onto the arms of the chair, digging my nails in while I tried to control myself. A slight throb started directly behind my left eye.

"Rose don't fight it." Jack warned. "Why do you drink?"

"Because I need to quiet the bond between me and Lissa."

So didn't want to say that, but the confusion etched on Jack's face was almost worth it. Almost.

Blinking a few times, Jack's expression started to clear. "What do you mean by bond?"

Sweat started to bead onto my forehead. "A Spirit bond."

"Sweet baby Jesus." Picking up his pen again, he took a moment before writing anything down. "Are you . . . shadow kissed?"

I did not like this ride, and I wanted off. Before I'd been concerned with him finding out about the jail break, but now he was in an area I did not want to talk about. Not at all. But I couldn't stop myself from answering.

"Yes."

Dread filled me, waiting for him to start asking additional invasive questions, instead Jack shocked me by letting the matter drop.

"What do you know about the Travelers?"

My brain skipped a beat, almost like it was taking a slight recess to filter through anything relating to his question. "As in insurance?"

This time Jack did laugh. "No Rose, not insurance." He chuckled a little bit more. "Okay, bear with me, just a few more questions."

"I don't like this." Oh boy, I did not like this.

"No one does." Jack replied. "Is anyone looking for you?"

Duke had asked me the same thing before. "I don't know." And that was the truth. I had no clue. But by this point, I highly doubted it.

"How do you know about Alchemists?"

"I met one in Russia." Slightly impressed with myself for not giving up Sydney and how she'd helped me, I kept my mouth shut, waiting for the next question.

"Rose, what else are you keeping secret?" For his credit, Jack looked just as uncomfortable as I was.

"Can we stop playing this game now please?"

"Last question, I promise."

The sweat on my brow was starting to bead, while the buzzing behind my eye turned into a dull thud. What else was I keeping secret? Was this guy for real? Like what about my life wasn't a secret at this point? Do I start with when I died and Lissa brought me back? No, I'd just answered that. Or when we were compelled to leave the academy by another Spirit user? When D – _He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named_ came and dragged us back?

So, I simply opened my mouth and everything just came spewing out. I couldn't stop once I started. I told him about Lissa, what we'd been through, our bond, what had transpired from the time we left the Academy, got dragged back, up until we graduated, and Vladimir help me, I even told him about breaking Victor Dashkov out of jail and finding out how to turn a strigoi back.

Praying I could just stop there I felt my heart explode as I began confessing my relationship with "him". Dimitri. Tears were threatening to fall, but whatever control I had over myself stopped them. I'd sworn to never cry over Dimitri again. By the time I got to the end of my horrible tale, I was relieved when I reached the part where Lissa and Christian had saved Dimitri. How he hadn't wanted to see me, and Lissa had turned into his protective guard dog. That I'd pushed until Dimitri admitted that his love had faded.

By the time I was done talking, I felt lightheaded and extremely thirsty. Which was saying something, seeing what happened the last I drank something Jack gave me.

Jack took a few more seconds to write some more stuff down, and when he was done, he set his pen down and lifted his head. "Is that all?"

"Are you kidding?"

"Yes." He exclaimed and ran a hand through his hair. "No wonder you drink. I'm surprised you aren't taking anything else."

"I drink because of the bond, I take sleeping pills to keep Adrian out of my dreams."

"I see." A small smile spread over his face. "I didn't ask if you were taking sleeping pills."

"Like that matters after everything else I told you." Lifting a brow, I couldn't help but smile back. Amazing after the emotional beating I'd just endured.

Jack sighed. "The bad news, you're going to need several more sessions."

"Aren't you supposed to start with the good new?" It was like a law, right?

"The good news." Shaking his head, Jack reached inside one of his desk drawers, and pulled out three more vials.

"You can't be serious." Making a face, I tried to stand up, but stopped when Jack held up a hand.

"One is to remove the effects of the last drink." Putting it into a glass before adding water, I was already reaching for it and drinking down the contents as fast as I could. Jack looked impressed. I was almost impressed too. The water tasted fantastic, with only a slight mint aftertaste. "These two are to help you from having to . . . self-medicate."

"I don't understand." Uneasy, I reached out and took the items from his hand.

"If you're going to be any use to the Travelers, we need you not to be a drunk, pill popping addict."

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_**Phew, there. Next part we get to see what the others at court are up to, and what our new friends the Travelers are all about. **_


	2. Chapter 2

Authors Note: I want to thank everyone for their wonderful feedback! Many expressed their concerns on updates, and I want to share that I will be updating every other week. The first few chapters have a lot of back story, and information, so I am sorry if its information over load. I am adding some back story and history, but most is cannon up to when Dimitri tells Rose his love for her had faded. The others will soon appear, and I have no intention of making any of them the bad guy.

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A month had passed since my first session with Jack, and I was starting to wonder if maybe the Travelers had missed the memo about me being trusted. Or more than likely, Jack's memo consisted of him telling them how mentally unbalanced I truly was. Not that I blamed him, I was a hot mess.

To be honest, after my forced purge-fest I had half expected the court Guardians to swarm in, breaking down my crappy motel door and arresting me for breaking Victor out of jail. The thought occupied me for weeks and I had made up my mind a half dozen times to pack my bag and skip town. One time I even made it as far as the bus station. But my gut told me to stick around, that there was something to this Traveler mystery.

Another worry that kept me up at nights was Abe. I'd met my father in Russia through his odd connects to the Alchemists, and one in particular, Sydney. I still didn't fully understand how he had influence with a group of people who believed all Moroi and Dhampirs were basically the spawn of evil. Just how far reaching was his sway anyway? Was it just Sydney? Or was it all Alchemists? How was I supposed to know if Jack hadn't picked up the phone the minute I'd left, to inform Abe his wayward child was in Chicago? He'd gone to Russia to scare me back, what was a small trip to Illinois?

But neither of these things happened. So, I stuck around. I did move out of the hygienically questionable dive of a motel and upgraded. Well upgraded was slightly optimistic. But it was closer to the bar, and the linens didn't make me gag. Plus, the new location made me feel a little bit more secure, and lessened the small chance of being invaded by Guardians or my Old Man.

And even though Jack seemed to have kept his word by keeping my confessions, didn't mean I fully trusted him yet. So far, I'd endured three sessions with him, if they could be called that. After our first greet and meet, he deemed the office to be ineffective, and had taken me on an excursion of Chicago's top tourists spots. It's not that I minded not having to sit through long and tedious appointments in that drab and boring room, but he'd broken therapist protocol, or at least what I deemed to be appropriate procedure.

With Deidre, the Academy's shrink, we had a simple system. I went to her office and sat in a somewhat comfortable chair. I talked and she in turn asked questions, lots of them, on what I had just said. It was annoying, and typically pissed me off, but I had come to expect it. So, I didn't know what to make of Jack's non-sessions.

What I did know, I didn't appreciate the nine in the morning appointment. I was on a human schedule and had worked until three at the Gypsy, so with barely four hours of sleep I was feeling bitter and bitchy, not a good combo for me.

"A museum? Really?" Standing on the steps of the Field Museum, I sent what I hoped was a scathing glare at Jack, who's annoying grin only widened.

"What's wrong with a museum?" Jack asked, giving me a look like I was the crazy one. I noticed he hadn't shaved, cleverly hiding the tattoo on his cheek. His short brown hair was styled neatly, and his outfit was a little too GQ for me.

"Nothing, if you're sixty, have nothing else to do and can get the senior discount." Shoving my hands into my hoodie, I yawned, wincing when my jaw popped.

"Did you work last night?" Already heading up the steps, Jack looked over his shoulder at me.

With a sigh, I took the steps one at a time. "If by work you mean I showed up at the Gypsy, messed up most of the orders and broke at least ten glasses, then yes, I worked last night."

"I assume the Academy didn't teach waitressing 101?" Opening the door, he smirked at me and I sent him a scowl.

"Didn't have time between advanced technique and Bodyguard theory." I shot back.

Paying for our admission, Jack held the door open for me, as I dragged my feet like a sulking three-year-old. It wasn't just the fact that I hadn't had much sleep, that had become the new normal for me. It was too many unknowns weighing me down.

"So why here? And why so damn early?" Following him through the lobby to a large map, I watched as he silently found what he was looking for.

"I take it museums aren't your thing?" Apparently, he found what he was looking for and turned his attention back to me.

"History really isn't my thing." I replied. "From what I hear, museums are jammed packed with it."

Looking thoughtful for a moment, Jack asked. "If history isn't your thing, what is?"

For such an easy question, I was at a loss for words. If he'd asked me the same question seven months ago, the answer would've been simple. My 'thing' was training. Training to be the best Guardian. Training to be able to fight off strigoi. Training, so I could be assigned to Lissa. My other 'thing' had been focused on Dimitri, either saving him from being an evil strigoi or avoiding his murderous stalking. I had never had room for anything else, and now after sacrificing my future, I was lost and had too much time on my hands.

"Guess I'm in between 'things' at the moment." I tried to sound casual, but that ever-present anger started to boil inside of me. It was the same feeling that initiated my flight from court, away from the people I would have once done anything for.

Seeming to sense my emotions, Jack looked around as he led us through the halls. "I've always been fascinated by history. Studying epic civilizations that peeked then suddenly vanished. Watching as we seem to repeat the mistakes of our ancestors, always anticipating a different outcome."

"Must be an Alchemist thing." I muttered. He gave me a look and I shrugged. "The Alchemist I met was really into architecture. Would get all dreamy eyed and poetic when she spoke about it."

Looking at him from the corner of my eye, I watched his expression. This was the first time I'd mentioned having met an Alchemist since our original meeting, and I felt a little uneasy having said anything at all. But after a month of neither of us mentioning it, I was starting to feel frustrated.

As little as I had learned about the Travelers, Jack had probably learned less about me since my first visit. I'd braced myself to be asked the hard questions. To have to explain what had driven me to leave. Instead, he hadn't asked any questions, hadn't pried into my past, hadn't done anything but engage in simple conversation. His behavior kept me off my game. I mean would it kill him to act like a normal therapist? Ask a few prying questions, then respond to my vague answers with more questions.

Was I in therapy or on my third date with him?

"I can see that." Looking thoughtful, Jack tilted his head to the side. "Growing up, most Alchemists don't have the luxury to study anything that isn't deemed helpful to the cause." The way he said "cause" made it sound like a filthy word.

We walked silently for a while, passing very few people. Shocking I know, but soon we reached our destination. Dear god, what a snooze fest.

"The Revolutionary War?" I had half hoped for something a little more exciting. Like I dunno, cursed ancient mummies or something almost interesting. "This is something you wanted to see?"

"Its one of the most interesting times in American history." Looking around, Jack looked like he was in heaven, a nerdy heaven. "A fledgling country made up of people who had been proud to be members of the British Empire, pushed to the point where they were forced to fight back against oppression by a greedy crown. They were the little people who were looked upon with contempt, banning together to free themselves from tyranny and through pure determination, and a few miracles, gained their freedom."

I yawned again, this time being a little more dramatic. It wasn't like I was a complete idiot; I knew basic history. It just didn't give me goosebumps or make me go all schoolgirl giddy.

"I would have thought you'd get what they went through." Jack smirked, shaking his head already heading to a display of old military uniforms. His parting words penetrated through my sullen dismay.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Following on his heels now, I glared at the back of his head.

"Your part of a race who are constantly being used and mistreated by a government, who only sees you as collateral damage." Jack said, his words direct and to the point. They also pissed me off.

"That's a load of crap." I may not sound as elegant, and all wordy, but after four hours of sleep I think I got my opinion heard.

Giving me a look that clearly said I was being an idiot, Jack replied. "So, you support sending barely trained sixteen-year-olds to their deaths?"

At the mention of the Age Decree, my blood turned to ice. It wasn't that I had forgotten about it, how could I? It wasn't everyday I got to tell a Queen she was a sanctimonious bitch, while being dragged out by Court Guardians. "Of course, I don't support it."

"And aren't Dhampirs conditioned at an early age to believe their lives aren't as important as Moroi, especially royal Moroi? They come first, right?" He didn't look over at me, instead he stared ahead, acting like the uniforms were the most interesting things in the world.

"You make it sound like I was brainwashed." Now insulted, I balled my fists at my sides.

This time he looked my way, his face unreadable. "It's just an observation"

"A stupid one." I fired back.

"Like I said, history is my thing. But all I have are history books and diaries to get my information from." Jack shrugged. "If you have an explanation as to why Dhampirs have allowed their rights and freedoms to be stripped away over the last three hundred years, I'm all ears."

"Dhampirs aren't slaves." He may have not said it out loud, but I wasn't completely stupid. Jack snorted, only frustrating me more.

"Perhaps not at the moment, but I wouldn't be shocked if something that extreme happens soon." Moving away from the exhibit, he wandered over to another one with old looking guns, forcing me to follow if I wanted to convince him he was wrong. Sure, the recent decree was a load of bullshit, but it wasn't like the vote had been a landslide. It had been an even vote, until Tatiana had cast hers. There was still time for it to be repealed.

"You act like you know something I don't." Coming to a stop next to him, I folded my arms over my chest, not caring if I looked defiant.

"History repeats itself Rose. Cultures always have a pecking order, one group believes they're more important, more vital to their existence. Slowly, over time, they strip away the rights of those they deem less worthy, less important, while convincing those poor souls it was a necessary evil for the good of all. The problem is the underdogs can only be pushed so far until they start to push back." His eyes met mine for a moment, and they looked sad. "The Age Decree only proves that the majority feel Dhampirs are expendable, their lives only tools to be used to protect theirs."

I frowned at his words, wanting to disagree, but there was some truth to what he was saying. Remembering how shocked and used I'd felt back at court, when my testimony had been manipulated to support putting under trained teenagers into the line of fire.

"Did you know there was a time when Dhampirs and Moroi were equals? There were royal Dhampirs, who held council seats?" Sending me a look, he was on the move again, and again I was forced to follow. "During the Stepan Razin rebellion in Russia, several royal Dhampirs had been involved in the riots against the human tsarist bureaucracy. The Moroi felt their actions had nearly exposed them all and blamed the Dhampir's close interaction with humans. Because several of the Dhampir council members and their families had been injured in the riot, the governing Moroi voted for the removal of their seats. It didn't take long before the Dhampirs lost their voice."

My mind spun with this information. "How do you know all this?"

"How do I know anything?" Jack asked, his expression turning dark. "The Alchemists. We've been around just as long, watching and keeping notes. Vowing to keep the poor humans safe. They also played a part in this, whispering doubt into Moroi ears, hoping to unbalance their society. Thinking it would lead to its downfall."

"How do I _not_ know this?" I whispered to myself. If there were still Dhampirs on the council, that stupid law would never had passed.

"That's nothing. Through the years the rights of Dhampirs have been chiseled away." Said Jack. "At one time they could form attachments to one another, and it wasn't uncommon or taboo for them to marry. Of course, once the Moroi pulled away from interacting with humans, the Dhampir numbers declined, and scared they would be left unprotected, Moroi made it practically a sin for Dhampirs to be together."

This information was uncomfortable to hear. It made me burn the need to argue back, to disagree and tell him he was wrong, but seeing I had no clue any of this happened, I didn't have much ammunition to fling back. Not anything that wouldn't make me look ignorant.

"All of these events and several more, are why the Travelers exist." Leading us over to a bench he took a seat and gave me a knowing look. "You've been a lot more patient than I'd expected, but something tells me its an oddity for you."

Oh boy, that was an understatement. Taking a seat next to him, my heartbeat sped up, as I pushed all thoughts of forgotten history to the back of my mind. For weeks I'd been trying to subtly get answers about the Travelers, mostly from Duke, and he had cleverly evaded them all with deflection and sarcasm. My gut warned me not push too hard. Typically, I'd just tell my gut to shut up, and dive right on in headfirst. But something held me back. Maybe I was maturing. Doubtful.

"More like I'm worried about being initiated into some sort of wacky cult where I end up being someone's fifth ladywife." Doing what I did best, I used humor to cover up any awkwardness.

He let out a laugh that bounced off the walls, and a few patrons turned to stare at us. "You think we're a cult?"

"Hey, you guys are creepy secretive, what else was I supposed to think?" I snapped.

"Fair enough." He conceded. "I know you're looking for some defining answer, and I hope you're not disappointed, but the Travelers means something different to everyone involved. But basically, it's a large community of Dhampirs, Moroi and some Alchemists who only want to live their lives without the pressures from our societies."

"When you say large." Pausing, I took a breath. "How large?"

"Honestly, I don't know the how many Travelers there are." Jack replied.

"Color me shocked." I gasped. "There's something you don't know?"

I got a small smile. "There are too many variations, and many don't share the same views and opinions, so we don't really interact with all Travelers. Plus, over the last decade, the increase in numbers has been staggering. The new Age Decree is causing another swell."

And just like that it hit me. "There's not a decline in Dhampir numbers, they're just abandoning their responsibilities."

"If by responsibilities you mean giving up their freedom and freewill for a group who refuse to defend themselves or pulling their children out of school and sending them to safety, then yes, I suppose you're right." Any trace of humor fled his eyes and was replaced with anger.

"So, the Travelers are an anti-establishment group?"

"Some are." Jack murmured. "We don't usually interact with the more extreme circles."

"Circles?"

"Yes." He nodded. "Travelers tend to stick with others who view things the same way and have established safe places to live in several different cities. Our group, the one Duke, Jennifer, and I travel within, typically stick to Denver, New Orleans and Jacksonville. We're only in Chicago because Jennifer's aunt got sick."

"So, you guys will be leaving soon?" I felt a little hurt, that the people I'd just met and was starting to get to know, would most likely be leaving soon. I had been invited over to Duke's place for dinner that night before heading off to work. It'd be my first time going to his home. All my interactions with him and his family had been at the bar before it officially opened. Jennifer and their kids, Scout and Chloe, would show up a couple times a week with homemade food. At first, I thought it was odd to have small children in a bar, but I guess since we weren't open, there wasn't really any harm.

"Did you miss the Travelers part?" Jack joked dryly. "And with the issues at the Moroi court, we're being overly cautious. Which is why there's all the secrecy."

"You're telling me this now because?"

"Because you'll be going to Duke's place tonight, and I needed to prepare you." Leaning forward, resting his arms on his knees Jack sighed. "We'd hoped to have more time for you to acclimate, give you a chance to make up your mind about us, but there's been some trouble in Detroit, and we may have to leave sooner than we thought."

"I don't understand." The words slipped out of my mouth, as my mind tried to catch up.

"I'm sure." Jack agreed. "It'd take me months, maybe years to explain everything to you."

Something shot through my dazed mind. Sitting up straight, I turned to face him. "Have these sessions been more about finding out if I could be trusted, or about helping me with my . . . problems?"

"A little of both." Jack replied after a moment of silence, like he had to think about his answer. "Most of the Dhampirs we find aren't so . . . connected. Most have never been to the Moroi court, much less called its Queen a bitch during session." His mouth curved into a slight smile at that, stupid truth herbs. "But I've also been watching how you respond to different questions, to figure out the best way to help you. The darkness you have from Spirit is also an issue, and I hope with time, it lessens."

"How do you know about that?" Even though I'd revealed my bond to Lissa, it was unsettling that Jack knew anything about Spirit, especially since we knew so little.

"Ah, you must've missed the Alchemist part." Jack smirked darkly. "We've been lurking for centuries, hording information like lunatics while acting like we're the only salvation the world has. Spirit is extremely rare, but there is information on it. I'm guessing your bondmate may have used an unusual amount of Spirit before you left court, and it had some influence on you."

I really hadn't thought about that. Turning a strigoi back into a dhampir would've taken an enormous amount of Spirit. The large flash of light that had thrown me back like a rag doll only proved just how much she'd used. Maybe my feelings of anger and betrayal were a side effect? Perhaps in time I wouldn't feel the emotions burning through me. Then what?

"So, I left because Lissa used a large amount of Spirit, that it made me feel those things."

"I wish it was that easy." Jack replied. "Those emotions were all yours, Spirit didn't create them, just amplified them. If it makes you feel any better, its probably a good thing you left when you did. Being in such close proximity your bondmate just made it easier for the darkness to bleed into you. God only knows what you would've done with anymore darkness."

Basically, I had been a ticking time bomb with a broken heart. Gee, couldn't see that going well.

"Let me see if I've got this right. There's a secret group who have cut themselves off from the Moroi government, you don't really know how many there are, because each group has different views. That the dhampir numbers haven't been really dropping but instead they've been fleeing to live their lives how they see fit. And if I stick around, I'm not going to become someone's sex slave?" It was a little more confusing than that, and after some time to process this, I probably would have a few hundred questions.

"Something like that. Though you seem to be a little disappointed about not becoming a sex slave." His smile returned.

I rolled my eyes. If I were my old self, I would have had a witty response, I guess an eye roll would have to do. "So, are we done here?"

"Are you kidding? We still have the rest of the exhibit to see, and you don't want to miss the dinosaurs."

After two long hours, Jack had announced he had another appointment, and left me on the steps outside the museum. I grabbed a quick hotdog at a nearby cart and walked back to the motel. After a nap, one that lasted a little longer than I wanted, I was pressed for time. Duke said he'd pick me up around four, and seeing we were going straight to work after, I needed to ready for another fun filled night.

Running a brush through my hair, I quickly pulled on the cleanest shirt I could find, while wiggling into the jeans I'd worn early that day. I really needed to do something about my limited wardrobe options, maybe tomorrow. Shoving my wallet into my weathered backpack and was lacing up my boots when Duke knocked on the door.

"Wow." Scanning the room with his dark eyes, he didn't look overly impressed. "This sure is . . . a room."

"It's not the Plaza, but you should've seen the last room." Pushing past him, I quickly closed the door before he could make any more comments.

"You're actually staying here?" He didn't look happy about his nugget of information, and lines creased his forehead. "Drug dealers avoid this place."

"Its not that bad." Even I didn't believe my words, but we were in dangerous territory of him being worried about me, thus making him a friend and I wasn't ready for that, not yet. I was okay with being acquaintances, in the getting to know one another stage.

He must have sensed that I wasn't in the mood to talk about it, and let it drop. But his typically carefree attitude seemed to dampen.

"Hope you like spaghetti." He tried to sound upbeat, but his eyes skipped back to the motel before pulling away from the curb. "Jenn used her Grandmother's recipe."

My stomach clenched in hunger. "Are there people in this world who don't like spaghetti? If so, they must be stopped."

"I heard Jack laid down some pretty heavy information today." Maneuvering through traffic, he shifted his eyes over to me for a moment. It was an awkward change in conversation, and Duke was usually much smoother, but I didn't call him out on it.

"Yeah." I said. "Though I'm still not a hundred percent sold on you guys not being a crazy cult."

"We're not that exciting." Duke's smirked.

"Not sure I could handle anything more exciting." Looking out the window, I sighed.

"Really, we're just a bunch of Dhampirs trying to live our lives, without the weight from a bunch of bogus rules." Duke made it sound simple, though the look on his face told me it was anything but.

"Have you always been a Traveler?" I asked, suddenly curious.

When he didn't immediately answer, I wondered if I made some kind of social blunder by asking. He cleared his throat and sighed. "No, I went to Academy and took my promise mark, just like you."

I didn't need to ask him how he knew I went to Academy, I'm sure over the last few weeks he'd seen the back of my neck. "Where did you go?"

"St. Vladimir." His smirk grew when I stared at him in amazement.

"But I went there." I stared at him, trying to recall ever seeing him.

"Don't know if you noticed, but I'm a little older than you." Okay, he had me there. But still, he couldn't be anymore than seven or eight years older. And seeing St. Vlads housed grades kindergarten through senior year, it meant we'd been there at the same time. Except, he'd been at least seven or eight years ahead of me, and we hadn't been on the same campus.

"It's still weird." I muttered, waiting for him to continue.

"Jenn though, she grew up a Traveler. Her old man is an Elder in Denver."

"An Elder?" I asked. "Please don't tell me you're Mormon."

"What?" Looking over at me, he looked confused for a moment, then he rolled his eyes shaking his head. "No. Elders are basically leaders in larger cities. They're typically older Dhampirs who are tired of moving and are looking for a more permanent location."

I thought about this but was startled when Duke made a turn a few blocks from my motel and stopped in front of a large iron gate that had seen better days. Looking past the iron bars, my eyes landed on a large abandoned building. It was the most hideous looking structure I'd ever seen.

"What the hell?" My gaze flew over to where Duke was grinning like a lunatic, and my hand started to reach for the handle. "I knew the Travelers were a cult, is this where you kill me?"

"Don't be stupid." Duke laughed. "If we wanted to kill you why would we get you sober first?"

"Because you couldn't use a lush as a sacrifice?" I shot back.

"Rose, take a look at the building." He sighed, still amused, but his tone was a little more serious. "What do you see?"

"Rot and decay?"

"Really look." He pushed.

I heaved a sigh and stared forward, it took a second, but I soon realized the building was blurry. I felt my pulse quicken. "Magic." I barely whispered.

Pushing a button on what looked to be a garage door opener, the gates creaked open and he drove through. Looking back briefly, I watched as the gates closed, before turning my gaze back to where we were heading, I gasped in shock when I started to see groups of people scattered around the parking lot and a lawn in the front. I most definitely hadn't noticed them before, and I could only assume it was more magic that hid them from my view.

To our right there was a group playing basketball, mostly Dhampir but I could identify a few Moroi. Watching nearby, others shouted out encouragement and taunts at the players. There were small children running around playing, as their parents watched nearby. The parking lot Duke was headed, had a few others who looked to be coming or going, and they barely spared us a glance as they went on with their lives.

"This is -." Taking in everything, I was seriously at a loss for words.

"Overwhelming." Duke guessed as he pulled into an empty spot. "Its easier if you just think about the wards at school. They discourage civilians from getting too close, while hiding what's really going on inside. It's a little more complicated than that, but it'd take an Alchemist to explain it."

I didn't doubt what he was saying.

I followed him through the parking lot, trying to ignore some of the stares we were getting. A few yelled out their greetings to Duke before giving me a silent nod. Others I recognized from the bar and they gave sent me a friendly look, as they slapped Duke on the back before moving on their way.

Reaching the building, I noticed it didn't really improve in looks, but when Duke opened the door, I was startled to see it had been updated with modern drywall, and hardwood floors. The entrance was large, like a hotel lobby, with several couches and tables scattered about the room. Some were occupied, as groups played games or just simply talked to one another.

"We're in guest housing." He pointed to the right, to a hallway in the wall.

"Guest housing?" Frowning, I tried to keep with Duke's longer strides as he headed in that direction.

"Jack didn't tell you?" Not looking pleased, Duke looked down at me. Trying to go through what Jack had disclosed, I remembered him saying they were all only visiting Chicago.

"He said you guys aren't part of this . . . circle." I think I used the right words, and when Duke's shoulders relaxed, I was pretty sure I did.

"Most cities have housing for Travelers who are visiting or are there on business." Reaching an elevator, he pushed the button. "Its nothing special, but it beats where you're staying."

I ignored the dig as we rode up to the fourth floor. The hallway we stepped out in was long, with doors on both sides. It really looked like any ordinary apartment building would. Thankfully, we only had a short way to go.

He was right, the apartment wasn't much, but it made my motel room look dank and seedy. The shouts, and thundering footsteps of two rambunctious kids hit my ears as Scout and Chloe launched themselves at Duke and he caught them effortlessly, blowing raspberries on their stomachs.

Both Scout and Chloe had Duke's dark brown wavy hair, but their doe like eyes were all Jennifer's. At six, Scout was the oldest, and he also was the more daring of the two. He'd taken no time in chatting me up, asking me a slew of inappropriate questions, while Jennifer apologized for his brashness. Chloe, was four, and had been painfully shy when we'd met, but after a few visits, and a bribe of candy from me, she quickly warmed up to me as well.

As soon as they were done attacking their father, they turned their attention on me. Chloe wiggled out of her father's hold and attached herself to my leg, while Scout started to tell me about his newest art project 'I just had to see'. They were filled with so much energy, that it made me exhausted just to watch them. I couldn't imagine channeling that level of exuberance every day.

Trying to pay attention to their ramblings, it occurred to me that I should've asked Jack about Dhampirs having children. I had a chance, but had been too overwhelmed, and I knew now wasn't the right time.

"Rose, I'm so happy you're here." All smiles, Jennifer efficiently detached her daughter from my leg, while telling Scout he would be able to show off his work after dinner. She did it with such ease, I could only stare in awe. Handing Chloe off to Duke with strict instructions to get the kids washed up for dinner, she took my hand and led me to the kitchen. "I'm glad you were able to make it."

She made all this seem so normal, and I suppose to her it was.

"Thank you for inviting me." It was lame, but seeing how overwhelmed I was, it was the best I had to offer.

"Are you kidding? I'm just glad you didn't go running for the hills. Typically, newbies think we're some kind of weird sex cult." Her eyes sparkled, and I had a sinking suspicion Jack had opened his big fat mouth.

"I'm going to kill Jack the next time I see him."

"Don't blame him. It's not the first time we've heard it." Laughing, Jennifer handed me a glass of wine before moving to the stove. With the same efficiency she had with her children, she stirred the sauce, made a fresh salad, and put the garlic bread into the oven.

It all looked so incredibly domestic, and I couldn't help but feel like I was back in Baia. My heart gave a lurch, warning me I was treading into unsafe waters.

"I know Jack can be overwhelming." Jennifer said with exasperation, but the look on her face showed how much she adored her friend. "But you can come to us anytime you have any questions."

"Do you have a few days?" Taking a sip of the wine, I grinned at her over the rim. She was about to reply when a pounding at the door made us both jump. The sound of Duke's heavy boots could be heard hurrying to the door, as Jennifer and I made our way out of the kitchen to see what the commotion was about. We barely made it to the kitchen doorway to watch as Duke opened the door.

I didn't recognize the man at the door, but Duke seemed to be familiar with him as they talked quietly with one another. Closing the door, Duke turned around, his face grim.

"There's an emergency meeting downstairs, there was another attack in Detroit."


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors Note - First of all, thank you for your patience. The last few weeks have been a hot mess. The feedback has been fantastic, and I can't thank you enough for your continued interest. But mostly, I hope you and your families are safe and well. **

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Watching as Duke and the man spoke in hushed tones, I had a sudden sense of déjà vu. Even though I couldn't hear what was being said, I could feel the atmosphere turn thick with tension. It was the same tension that could be felt back at the Academy after strigoi had infiltrated the wards and did the unthinkable. The expressions crossing Duke's face were pretty much the same ones found on the survivors of St. Vladimir's.

Shock, anger, confusion, grief.

"Rose?" Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I pulled away from my thoughts before they went down a much darker path. "Are you okay?"

Not trusting my verbal skills, I gave her a quick nod and turned my attention back to where Duke was already closing the door. The haggard look on his face made it clear that the news was bleak. "There's an emergency meeting at six."

"So quick?" Jennifer's stunned expression led me to believe this wasn't a normal thing.

Duke's eyes went to the closed bedroom door where the muffled sound of Scout and Chloe could be heard and kept his tone low. "Apparently this last attack was a bloodbath."

Jennifer took the news in stride. "I guess I can call Megan, she didn't run screaming the last time she watched the kids."

"I can watch them." I don't know who was more shocked by me offering to babysit, them or me. First, I had zero experience watching tiny humans. Second, Duke and Jennifer barely knew me. Why would they leave their children alone with a person they barely knew?

Sharing a look, before looking back, I wished I'd kept my big fat mouth shut. Folding his arms over his chest, Duke spoke. "Actually, that would be hard to do since you'll be at the meeting too."

"But it's a meeting for Travelers." Confused, I studied their expressions for any hint as to why they'd want me to go to a meeting for a group of people I didn't know. A group I was still unsure of.

"Yes." Duke drawled. "And you work at a bar owned by Travelers. Serving subpar alcohol to a crowd of Travelers."

"And get counseling from a Traveler." Jennifer pointed out.

"And your two newest friends are Travelers." Duke added, a smirk on his face. "Besides, how else can we convince you we aren't trying to make you a child bride, as we wait for redemption in the form of green little alien guardians in flying disks?"

"I thought she was worried about being sold as a sex slave in an underground market." Jennifer said as she tilted her head, a sly smile forming on her lips.

They were mocking me, and if the roles were reversed, I probably would do the same. But after the year I'd had, having to deal with one heartbreak after another, I was having a hard time believing this offering of help didn't come with some serious strings attached. Strings that would break me more than I already was.

"Yeah, yuck it up." Rolling my eyes, fighting the smile trying to spread across my lips. "Make fun of the emotionally damaged girl."

"Well duh." Jennifer grinned. "Okay, I'll get ahold of Megan. Why don't you two get the food on the table. I spent way too long making dinner for it to go to waste."

She gave a quick peck on Duke's cheek, before pulling her cell phone from her back pocket and making a shooing motion with her free hand to the kitchen. Taking the hint, Duke and I went to get dinner on the table.

Barely making it two steps into the kitchen, Duke's eyes moved to the pair of wine glasses and his stride paused mid-step. He made a face but didn't say a word as he grabbed the salad Jennifer made and put it on the table. He may not have said anything, it wasn't something Duke would do, but I could feel his concern from across the room.

Feeling I had to defend myself, I crossed my arms over my chest and scowled at him. "I'm really not a lush."

"I've got a pair of Converse that disagree." Duke grinned, his tone light, but his eyes were filled with worry.

"Seriously." I protested.

"Okay." Shrugging, Duke grabbed five plates and handed them to me.

I really couldn't blame Duke for drawing the conclusion he had, I hadn't really shared anything about my past with him. Where I appreciated how he accepted me on face value, I suppose it wouldn't kill me to be honest with him. Just a little bit.

"I was drinking to numb the Spirit Bond between me and my . . . someone I knew." Placing the last plate onto the table, I looked over my shoulder to where Duke was giving me a strange look.

"Are you making up stuff up to justify a glass of wine?" Duke jest.

I could see I was going to have to explain. "You know how Moroi specialize?"

"Ah, Academy trained." Duke scoffed, as he pointed to himself. "Of course I know the four elements."

"Five." Taking the forks from his hand I moved back to the table. "There's a fifth one, Spirit."

Duke looked at me with doubt.

"It's an element that faded away, but my . . ." Why couldn't I just say it? Lissa had been my friend, practically my sister. Sure, she ended up hurting me when she sided with him, but she had once been my friend. "friend, she specialized in Spirit."

"Not that I'm saying I believe you, but what the fuck are you saying?"

"What I'm saying, potty mouth, is that my friend used Spirit when she brought me back from the dead after I died in a car accident, and because of that we have this whacked out bond." Watching his expression to gauge his reaction, I could see he was not a hundred percent on board, but he was silently considering my words. So, I suppose that was a start.

After a moment, Duke cleared his throat while rubbing the back of his neck. "You died?"

"Yeah." Shrugging, ignoring the memory of the crash, I put a fork next to each plate.

"Doesn't that technically make you a zombie?" My head shot up and caught the twinkle in his eye. "I mean what kind of father would I be if I let some brain hungry monster around my kids?"

"You're such an idiot." Leave it to Duke to make light of a serious conversation.

"So, what does this bond entail?"

"At first it was small things." Stalling, I tried to piece together an explanation. "I was able to feel what she was feeling, sometimes she pulled me into her dreams. After a while I could slip into her mind, see everything that was happening around her."

Looking amazed, Duke shook his head. "That must've been handy."

"It was at times." Honestly, it had saved her life a few times, but it also was what had destroyed my faith in her. "When I left, I wanted to leave everything behind. So, with enough booze I was able to numb the bond. Jack gave me something that keeps me off the sauce and helps keep the bond quiet."

"So what you're saying." Leaning his hip against the counter, Duke folded his arms over his chest and gave me a serious look. "Is that you're not a zombie?"

Tossing the last fork at him, he easily dodged it laughing. "You're a jerk."

"Just saying it would've been so much cooler." Tempted to throw a plate at him, he was saved when Scout came stomping into the kitchen, a fierce scowl on his face.

"Why can't Rose watch us?" Scout muttered, looking defiant as he stalked past Duke and I, taking his spot at the table. "Megan is so girly."

"Hey!" I tried to act offended "I am a girl." When Scout scoffed in my direction, I couldn't help but feel just a little slighted. But looking down at my outfit, I guess I could see his point. My well-worn jeans and black t-shirt couldn't really be considered girly. Honestly, I couldn't remember the last time I put any effort into my looks.

"You don't act like one." Scout shrugged, before he looked back at his mother in the kitchen doorway. "She tried to paint my nails last time."

"She painted mine purple." Chloe supplied as she slipped past Jennifer and ran to Duke laughing when he picked her up and tossed her into the air.

Sitting Chloe down into a chair Duke gave his son a look. "Rose can't watch you two monkeys, she's going to the meeting."

"I wanna come." Chloe chirped.

Pretending to look thoughtful, Duke looked up at the ceiling before looking back down. "Ain't gonna happen."

A small frown formed on little lips, then disappeared just as quick. "Then can Rose sit next to me?"

Chloe sent me a silent pleading look, with those pretty brown eyes of hers, and seriously how was I supposed to say no to that? "As long as you don't steal my garlic bread."

Dinner was interesting. Mostly it was a half hour of listening to Scout recommending other poor souls to come over to watch them, all guys of course, while Chloe went into detail about her new doll. She'd been horrified of course when I told her I'd never had a doll when I was little. But how was I supposed to explain to her that most girl Dhampirs at Academy didn't have many toys? Scout had looked overly pleased with this information, as though my admission only cemented his belief, I wasn't a real girl. I was relieved when Duke jumped in, distracting both his children with dessert.

Megan turned out to be a pretty teenage Moroi, with long red hair. She was tall and model thin, like most Moroi, and I instantly understood Scout's stance on her being too girly. Duke gave his son a stern glance on our way out, as Jennifer kissed Chloe on the nose. It was weird, and perhaps a little surreal to witness, seeing I had very limited experiences with normal, functioning parents. There had been several times I'd stayed with Lissa's family during school vacations, but I had been more in awe of their lifestyle than their family semantics.

But there had been my time in Baia, with _his_ family. The experience had been eye-opening, creating small cracks into my perceived reality. It had shown me the life I had missed; one I had no idea I even wanted. Perhaps not the whole single mother thing. I was still uneasy on how blasé they'd been about having affairs with Moroi men who didn't intend on sticking around. But a small part of me felt jipped, by not having a coddling mother and the whole family dynamic.

Still, I had no idea how two Dhampirs were able to procreate. But if there was a way, the future I had once dreamed of – well I felt even more screwed over by the universe than I already did.

Waving goodbye to Scout and Chloe, I followed Duke and Jennifer down the hallway and back to the elevator. Instead of getting out off on the main floor, the doors slid open on the second one. The hallway looked nothing like the boring, drab floor where Duke and Jennifer lived. Where their floor was an endless hall of low-end carpet, and plainly painted walls, this floor looked like a high-end office building and posh spa had a one-night stand and popped out a baby.

Instead of crappy brown carpet, the hallway floor was lined with dark hardwood, meticulously polished to the point I could almost see my reflection. The walls used some of the original brickwork from the factory, with some drywall, tied in with black wrought iron. Passing rooms, with large panes of glass, I had a feeling they were used as offices. Some had single desks, while other rooms held large tables, probably used as conference rooms if I had to guess. The further we walked, we were joined by more people, all headed in the same direction.

We were approaching and intersection of sorts when the room to the left brought me to an abrupt halt. "Whoa."

"Pretty impressive huh?" Coming to a stop next to me, hands in his pockets, Duke smirked down at me.

"Impressive?" My eyes wondered over the room. "More like I'm in lust."

Here I thought the Academy had an impressive assortment of gyms, and workout spaces, what I was seeing now made them look small and inadequate. Like most gyms, this one was equipped with the mandatory workstations, treadmills, and ellipticals. There were several practice mats, all with dummies lining the sides. But looking up, I could see the ceiling was much higher, likely up a few floors, with the most amazing rope course in like . . . the galaxy. Even more drool worthy was the furthest wall.

"Is that seriously a rock-climbing wall?"

"Sure is." Jennifer joined us. "Maybe if we don't scare you off you can come by in a day or two and try it out."

With a wistful sigh, I dragged my feet away from the best place on earth, and we continued down the hallway and under a wide arch, until we were in a room that rivaled the one I had once been dragged out of back at court. Where this one won in size, it lost in best decor. Instead of comfortably padded seats, there were rows upon rows of folding chairs that promised to numb the butt in minutes. The room was already more than half full, and the noise was amplified as it bounced off the brick walls.

Feeling a tug on my arm, I tensed then looked over to see Jack giving me a half smile before turning his attention to Duke. He looked tired, and on edge. More concerning, his typically impeccable attire was slightly rumpled, giving him a disheveled appearance. His appearance, minus the haggard expression, made him seem more real, and perhaps a tad better looking.

Moving through the growing crowd, we reached a row of seats near the front. Sitting down between Duke and Jack, I let my eyes move to the front of the room. There on a makeshift stage stood what I assumed was a podium, surrounded by a group of older Dhmapirs who were talking amongst themselves. There were eight of them in all, men and women, all looking as if they hadn't slept in a week. To the right of the stage a small group of Moroi were talking on cell phones, their expressions and body language showing whatever news they were receiving wasn't good.

"So, what do you think?" Jack asked me after I'd had a moment to study my surroundings.

"Are you asking as my shrink?" I countered.

"I'm asking as a friend." Sighing, he looked at me and rolled his eyes. "Do you always have to be so difficult?"

"If we were friends, you wouldn't need to ask." Jack chuckled at my reply. "But to answer your question, I'm not getting any crazy, off kilter cult vibes, so that's a plus."

"Excellent." Leaning forward, Jennifer sent me a mischievous grin. "Our evil plot is working. Duke will have a second wife in no time, and I'll have a live-in maid and babysitter."

"Hey." Duke protested. "What would I get out of this deal?"

"If I have to explain that to you, then I feel bad for Jenn." Jack snickered. "And why does Duke get two wives?"

"Now, you're all making fun of me." Sighing, I was starting to see that perhaps the Travelers weren't all that bad. The people in the room seemed normal, and I wasn't lying, I didn't get any strange vibes from the crowd. My instincts had never led me wrong. Well not too many times.

"Yes, Rose." Jack nodded. "We are making fun of you."

Before I could respond with a witty reply, a man took the microphone and after a few failed attempts, caught the rooms attention. After a moment, he gave a weary sigh before speaking.

"Last night, the wards at one of Detroit's largest sanctuaries fell." There was a collective intake of breaths in the crowd. "From what we're able to piece together there had been multiple attacks on other sanctuaries as well, but most of the wards held with the other areas. We lost communication with Detroit for about eight hours, and when they came back online . . . the casualties . . . they are enormous."

Looking around the crowd, I could see horrified expressions, as people were trying to come to terms with this information.

"A large group from Cincinnati and Cleveland are already on there way to help the survivors and help with locating the missing."

A man a few rows ahead of us stood up. "Garland, get to the point. How many dead?"

The speaker paused, his eyes narrowing at the interruption, and after a long pause he answered. "So far there are eighty confirmed dead, with over thirty missing. We're waiting for an update."

"What do you mean there's thirty missing?" Still standing, the man fired back.

"Exactly what it means Doug, there are thirty Travelers missing." Apparently out of patience, the older man stared down good ole Dougie, until the younger man took the hint and sat down.

But to my shock, another person stood, a female about my age. The speaker gave her a level stare before nodding. "Yes Emily?"

"Do you know how the Strigoi were able to break down the wards?" Unlike Doug, Emily sounded less hostile in her questioning, and in return the speaker quickly answered.

"So far there is no information. But there is a theory." Looking uncomfortable, the speaker continued. "That humans somehow assisted in bringing down the wards."

"Right." A man sitting in front of us snorted to his friend. "Humans helping Strigoi."

"Like a human would last five minutes with those monsters." The friend replied, his words sending an icy chill down my spine.

"They don't know." The words slipped past my lips, as my mind raced. Of course, they wouldn't know, up until a year ago it had been unheard of, Strigoi using humans to do their dirty deeds. It had been common knowledge, drilled into our heads that Strigoi preferred to be solitary. Working in groups, towards a long-term goal was just unheard of. At least until they started hunting down Royal Moroi and eliminating a few family lines. But even then, the theory of a human taking down a ward to help Strigoi, like at the Conta's, was frowned upon.

Unlike everyone else, I had front row seats to just how willing some humans were to work for the Strigoi.

The crowd was still asking questions, and the men in front of us were still mocking human involvement. Turning to Jack, I kept my voice low. "Humans work for Strigoi."

At first, I wasn't sure if he'd heard me, but he turned his head in my direction and gave me a questioning glance. But it was Duke on the other side of me who spoke. "Care to repeat that?"

"They used humans to get past the wards." Keeping my eyes forward, I watched as the speaker tried to gain control of the crowd. But I could feel two sets of eyes boring into me. "Long story short, I've personally experienced just how far some humans will go for a false promise of immortality."

"Does this experience also include why the strigoi are working together?" Asked Duke.

Shaking my head, I ignored the memories that were fighting to resurface. "Besides the attack on St Vlad's -."

Duke's eyes widened, and Jack froze next to me. "Are you telling me you were there for the attack?" His gaze skipped to Jack who held up his hands. "Did you know this?"

"I'm still working on gaining her trust." Jack sputtered. "If you haven't noticed she's got some major trust issues. And then there's that little issue of confidentiality."

"Didn't stop you from telling Jennifer about my sister wife comment." I interrupted, turning my scowl at Jack who had the decency to blush.

A loud whistle paused any further discussions, and everyone looked back up to the stage. "As of an hour ago, Detroit called an immediate evacuation. To accommodate the members of our circle we're requesting that all visitor's make plans to vacate temporary housing to make room for misplaced survivors."

The crowd starting murmuring again, as the news settled down on them. Duke and Jennifer looked at one another, before giving me a brief glance. It dawned on me this was what Jack was talking about, that Duke and Jennifer would be leaving soon. Oddly I felt a momentary feeling of panic. In a week I was going to be on my own again. Feeling Jack's hand on my arm giving it a gentle squeeze, I tried to give him a reassuring smile.

Apparently, the meeting was coming to an end as people started to rise, their voices buzzing in my ears. Duke and Jack spoke quietly with one another, before Duke headed to the stage.

"What's my scheming husband up to?" Jennifer asked Jack, who suddenly found his shoes fascinating.

My eyes followed Duke as he paused at the bottom of the stage steps and caught the attention of Garland. Soon, several of the other members joined and I started to get a sinking sensation. That feeling was confirmed when Duke looked back in our direction and waved us over.

"I'm going to relieve Megan from my brats." Jennifer said, giving me a reassuring smile before making her way through the crowd.

"Come on." Jack murmured, putting his hand on my shoulder and pushing me toward the stage.

"Huh?" Digging my heels in, I tried to stall. "Why?"

"Because you have information we don't." Jack sighed. "What you know, could possibly save a lot of lives."

"I think you're giving me way too much credit." I argued, but my words fell on deaf ears. Soon we were at the stage, and I felt the weight of several sets of eyes on me. Oddly, I had a flashback from my Academy days, having a momentary feeling of being dragged to Kirova's office. But instead of frustrated annoyance, their expressions seemed more intrigued.

"This is Rose Hathaway." Duke introduced me, and I watched as a few expressions turned to shocked, but quickly smoothed out and returned to curious.

Garland gave me a tight smile. "Its nice to meet you Rose. Duke here says you may have some information that can shine a light on our current situation in Detroit."

"I think Duke may be overselling me." Glaring at Duke, who let my irritation bounce off him, I returned my attention back to the older man. He was tall, or at least at the bottom of the steps he seemed tall, and his close-cropped hair showed several different shades of gray. It was rare to see a Guardian reach the silver years of their lives, but to see him surrounded by several others in the same age bracket was shocking.

"Anything at this point will be a help." A Dhampir woman offered a strained smile. "Why don't we take this discussion somewhere a little more private."

Turning my gaze to Jack, he gave me a reassuring look. Turning my gaze back toward the strangers, I relented. "Sure."

What I wanted to say, was I'd rather lick my bathroom back at the Roach motel clean. But even after a year out of the game, it wasn't in me to turn my back on these people, not after so many lives had already been lost. I still couldn't see how my knowledge could help these people, but Duke thought otherwise, and it was the least I could do.

I had anticipated being led back to one of the offices we'd passed on our way to the meeting, but instead was led to a door near the stage. The room we entered was just a room, a very boring, unimpressive one, with a large table, and several chairs surrounding it. There was a large TV mounted to the wall at the far end.

"Please have a seat." The woman gently smiled, but it didn't exactly reach her eyes. I didn't feel it was me, but more the tensions of the day weighing down on her. My eyes moved to Jack and Duke and did as the woman asked when they both sent me a tense nod.

"We'd hoped to meet you under different circumstances." Garland sighed, taking the chair at the head of the table.

My eyes swung over to the boys again and felt my heart rate increase when neither returned the glance. Rubbing my sweaty palms on my jeans, my eyes swept the room again, this time calculating escape routes.

"Jack vouched for you, as well as Duke, but both felt you needed time before immersing you into our world." Garland smirked, and I had a sinking suspicion it was due to my discomfort. "Like you, I used to be part of Moroi society, of course that was decades ago. I know you've had years of lessons being drilled into you, making you believe your life wasn't as valuable as a Moroi's."

The gazes were again on me, watching, analyzing. Almost as if they were waiting for some sort of response. A response I just didn't have.

"We believe all our lives are valuable." The woman spoke. "Several generations have believed this."

"The situation in Detroit is unheard of." Another said. "The Travelers have a history of fighting off strigoi, but nothing like this. We've never seen them organize like this."

The room went silent again, and after a moment, I realized they were waiting on me.

"I've seen it before." My voice sounded strange to my own ears, cautious and unsure. I had never been the cautious and unsure type, and I was finding that I didn't really like it. Jump in with both feet was more my style. Clearing my throat I tried tied to sound more like myself. "The first time was when . . . my mentor took me to the Conta's home to meet with Arthur Schoenberg."

I watched the expressions on my audience, but this news didn't seem to have much of an impact. "He was supposed to interview me for my qualifier exam, but when we got there, we found the Conta's had been attacked, everyone was dead, even the Guardians. It was the first time we started to suspect human interference."

"I knew Arthur." Garland sighed, shocking me. I hadn't seen any sign of recognition on his face. Apparently, the Travelers played their cards close to their chest. "He was a great man."

"After that attack, everyone was in a panic." Deciding to continue, I sucked in a deep breath. "It was decided the best way for families to celebrate Christmas and stay safe was to retreat to a ski lodge some Royal owned. But after another attack, my friends got it into their thick heads they could take strigoi on their own. Another friend and I tried to stop them, but we all ended up getting kidnapped."

"Jesus." Jack muttered, running a hand through his hair.

"There were three strigoi working together. Their leader's name was Isaiah, and he's the oldest one I've ever seen. Even though we could see tension in the ranks, they worked together."

"Were you able to find out why?" The woman asked.

"No." Shaking my head, I swallowed against a lump in my throat. Spokane wasn't a bright spot in my past and had only been the beginning to the pain I suffered. "They played with us, threatened us, starved us, but we were rescued." Deciding not to get into the semantics, I skipped to the end.

"Not long after we returned to St. Vlad's, it was attacked." Biting on my lower lip, I ignored the lurch of my heart and tried to calm my nerves. "It was a full-on assault. Hundreds of Strigoi breached the wards."

"Humans?" Asked Garland.

"No, just a bunch of stupid kids using their powers the wrong way, near the ward lines." I huffed. "Many died, but just as many were taken. So, we planned to strike back and rescue our people."

"That's not a mainstream mentality." Looking shocked, Duke sat back in his chair. He'd been watching me, and I hated the concern on his face. If he knew that many of the things that had happened were due to my own stupid actions, he may not be so kind in his judgement of me.

"It wasn't easy, but with some help, we convinced everyone it was the right thing to do." Fidgeting, I looked back down onto the tabletop. "We were able to save many of the missing staff and students, but I lost my mentor that day. He was taken by Strigoi in their retreat."

Jack's face went pale, and I felt his hand on my arm. It was nice of him, but nothing could take away that day, or ease my feelings. "His name was . . . Dimitri."

"Sounds like he was more than a mentor." The woman spoke up, bringing my gaze to hers. Instead of judgment, I saw sorrow instead.

"He was." Nodding, I gave her a small smile of gratitude. "We loved each other." Why I was admitting this was beyond me, but it felt freeing to be able to speak the truth without censoring my words. "And I couldn't let him live as a Strigoi. So, I left the Academy to hunt him down."

"Are you insane?" Blinking, Duke turned his full furry my way.

"Jury's still out on that." Jack muttered.

"I think it shows character." Garland defended me, quieting Duke and Jack.

"I went to Russia, and after a few missteps." More like stupid blundering mistakes. "I drew him out. But instead of releasing him, he kidnapped me. This is when I found out just how loyal some humans can be to the Strigoi."

"He kept you alive?" Another man who'd remained silent sat forward.

Nodding, I let out a mirthless laugh. "He wanted to make me Strigoi."

"Why didn't he just do it?" He pushed.

"Dimitri wanted it to be my choice." Strigoi or Dhampir, Dimitri had always wanted me to make my own decisions, at least until he fell out of love with me.

"Incredible." Garland murmured, looking intrigued.

"Unbelievable." The other man shot back, before turning his attention back to me. "Are you telling me a Strigoi kept you around, without killing you?"

"Yes." I shrugged. "But he wasn't the only Strigoi there. He was working for another, who was even more powerful, at the time. They had several Strigoi working for them, and from what I know, they all lived under the same roof."

"Did he ever say why they worked together?" The woman asked.

"Only that they wanted power." I admitted. "He never said why the Strigoi decided to break centuries long tradition of working solo. I wasn't really in the position to ask many questions."

"How did you get away?" The woman asked.

"By pure dumb luck." It wasn't a lie. I'd had enough time to go over that night, and where I'd like to say it was due to my awesomeness, it really only boiled down to being damn lucky. Lucky I'd gotten out of that room, lucky the doors held as long as they did, or that I'd been able to get my hands on a stake. None of that came close to how fortunate I'd been not to have my neck snapped that night by Dimitri. "I got a shot to shove a stake through his chest, before he fell off a bridge."

"So, you killed him." The other man guessed. His expression showed he didn't exactly believe me but wasn't ready to come out and call me a liar.

"Thought I did." I shot back. "But instead of freeing him, I created a psychotic stalker. Let's just say he wasn't too keen on turning me after that. With the help from human lackies, he was able to keep an eye on me until I left St. Vlads and travel to court."

This admission brought a snort from the man, and Garland turned his dark glaze on him. "Enough Patrick."

Taking the hint, Patrick sat back, but the gleam in his eyes darkened. Watching as Duke and Jack share a look, I took the room's silence as a hint to continue. Not really wanting to go through it all, I skipped towards the end. "There was a weekend in Las Vegas, kind of a graduation celebration, when he found me. He attacked and we barely escaped. He followed us back to court, and he abducted a friend and her boyfriend. He thought it would draw me out, but instead it created a backlash he hadn't expected. The court guard found him, and Dimitri was freed from being a Strigoi."

Okay sure, I left out some huge plot twists. But there was no way I was going to explain what Spirit was and what it could do. That was not information they needed to know at the moment.

The room remained silent. That is, until Patrick turned to Garland. "You're not seriously buying this load of crap."

"Jesus Patrick do you ever shut up?" The woman snapped.

"I can confirm that what Rose is saying, supports what she disclosed in our first meeting." Jack rushed in before Patrick could respond.

"She's practically a child." Pointing his finger at me, I sudden decided I didn't really care much for Patrick. "You're telling me, you believe she traveled halfway around the world, took on a strigoi -."

"Actually, _she_ killed several strigoi in Russia." I butted in, lifting my chin defiantly. I hated it when people underestimated me, or worse compared me to a child. "But seeing how _old_ you are, I get how young I must look."

It felt good to push the man's buttons. Something the old Rose would had done.

"To answer your question Patrick, I do see the truth in Rose's words." Garland replied, his tone tight, giving me a smug sense of satisfaction.

"She barely told us anything." Patrick argued, a few others around the table looked like they silently agreed. "We still don't know why Strigoi are attacking like they are."

"Perhaps not." Garland said. "But we now have it on record that they use humans, something we never thought could be possible."

"Only if we believe her." Replied Patrick.

"Well if it means anything, I believe her." Jack interrupted.

"So do I." Said Duke, as he scowled in Patrick's direction.

"That's just great." Throwing his hands in the air Patrick turned a cynical eye in my direction. "We're now taking the words of someone who until recently was brainwashed by Moroi court since birth. How do we know she's not some spy for them?"

"Jack vouched for her." Garland said simply. "Just like he vouched for many others over the last few years. Just like you'd been vouched for when we first found you."

Patrick's face was beet red, and I wondered if his heart was going to make it through his little tantrum. I mean he was old.

"I've heard enough." The woman gave me a warm smile. "I want to go on record that I, Amanda Wright, also support Rose's claims." It seemed with her backing many others around the table nodded in agreement. "Knowing that humans are helping gives us an advantage we didn't have. It can help us identify security issues on the ward lines."

One by one, members around the table gave their assessment, in the end it seemed that everyone, but Patrick and one other seemed to believe me. Honestly, I didn't see why it was important to me that some random strangers believed me. But a feeling I hadn't felt in a long time resurfaced, as a warmth spread through my chest.

For the first time in ages I felt useful. That I was in some way helping.

The meeting seemed to be over, as one by one the occupants around the table stood and left. Patrick sent me a heated look on his way out, but I kept my cool and refused to lower my eyes.

"I'm guessing you gave us just the cliff notes version of the last couple of years." Duke sighed.

"Something like that." I admitted.

"Don't worry Duke." Jack said as he sat back in his chair. "I'm sure after a few years of therapy she'll be fine."

"I'm sad to say that you're going to have to put those sessions on hold." Garland, who along with Amanda still remained. "We're going to need your services here for the time being."

"At least until we have everyone settled here." Amanda rushed in, giving Garland a look, before turning her attention to Duke. "When will you and Jennifer be leaving for Denver?"

"In a few days." Said Duke, his words making me feel slightly sick. "With the previous issues, we've been preparing."

"And will you be going with them?" Turning her attention to me, I froze for a moment.

"I . . ." At a loss, I was quickly rescued by Duke.

"We were hoping to give Rose more time to adjust to the whole Traveler thing and were going to offer her the option of coming with us." Duke said. "We just didn't want to come off as some weird cult who was trying to feed on her innocence."

Everyone laughed except for me. The joke was getting old. Instead I huffed and folded my arms over my chest, as I sent a scathing look in Jack's direction. "Did you tell everyone?"

"What?" Eyes wide, Jack put his hands up as though to protect himself from being attacked. "I didn't say anything."

"Don't blame him." Garland chuckled at Jack's squirminess. "Most newbies think there's some sort of twisted angle, and trust me, we've heard them all. We've learned it takes time to earn trust with nomad Dhampirs and Moroi."

"And Jenn and I really were going to offer for you to come with us tonight." Duke added. "It was only a matter of time before something big happened and we needed to return to Denver."

I studied his face and saw nothing but honesty. Indecision warred inside my chest, as I weighed my options. Something else dawned on me, and I turned to look over at Jack. "Are you staying here?"

"For a little while." Jack acknowledged. "But I'll also be returning to Denver."

So either I stayed here in Chicago, or take a chance on these new people who seemed to want me around. Sure, they belonged to this mysterious group, but nothing was screaming "run, mortal danger ahead."

Taking another moment to run through my options, I gave a sigh and shrugged. "Sure, why not."

* * *

**Next Chapter - We are gonna see what's going on back at court.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Dear Sweet Baby Jesus what a freaking month. Just so you know, the world of retail sucks right now. My hubby has mutated Cystic Fibrosis, and to keep him safe I went from working days to being an ASM for overnights. So I've been learning a new job, trying to get my sleep patterns under control, while trying to figure out how to clean a house when everyone is asleep but me. This has been written for months, but I needed to go over it a few times (I am sure there has to be more mistakes) and add a few things. Sorry about the delay.**

**And to answer swimmer07's question about a few characters . . . I did watch Haven. In fact I loved Haven (not the ending). So yes, in my mind Duke and Jennifer look like the characters. I just really liked the names, thought they fit, and kept them. Garland, well that was unintentional, so oops.**

* * *

Sleep just wasn't coming. It rarely did these days. Not when so many of my past sins haunted me in the dark. Since my return, I have made several irresponsible, and unforgivable errors. Some had been made unknowingly, during those early days when every second of being alive was pure agony, and I barely kept myself from falling apart. Every single moment had been torturous, as my mind replayed every single disgusting memory of my time as a strigoi. Every life I had taken. The poor humans I'd played dark and dangerous games with, and the ones I ended with little regard or consideration.

The other sins, those I had made intentionally. I had talked myself into believing they were done with pure intention, but when he was alone in bed, with nothing but silence for comfort, I am unable to hide from the truth. Dhampir or strigoi, I keep inflicting pain on people who do not deserve it.

The most recent misstep had been entirely unintentional, but it did not excuse the pain I had caused.

Feeling the familiar sting of self-disgust, I kicked the blanket off, knowing sleep would not be coming anytime soon. Moving across the suite Vasilisa strong-armed me into taking, I entered the bathroom not bothering with the light. The routine was well ingrained, seeing I repeated it several times a week, and I striped off my sleep pants while turning the shower on. Stepping under the scolding hot spray, I let the water beat down on me, trying to picture the water washing my sins away.

It was a fruitless endeavor; I knew no amount of hot water could erase what I had done.

Tasha's pain filled expression flashed through my mind, as I titled my head back and let the water hit my face. Again, I had inflicted pain on another, this time out of pure ignorance. I should have anticipated the inevitable fallout, should have somehow known I had not been clear enough with her this time around. Her friendship had been invaluable, and how did I pay her back?

Nauseated, I jerked the nozzle on the shower to turn it off. Grabbing the towel from the rack and wrapped it around my hips, I fought back the rising bile in my throat. For someone who was seeking redemption for evil actions, I sure was screwing things up.

Knowing sleep was not an option tonight, I quickly dressed and grabbed the gym bag from the closet. There was one sure fire way to force my mind and body into submission.

The short distance between the royal suites and gym was short, and luckily no one was about. Ever since Vasilisa's valiant crusade to redeem me in the court's eyes, the suspicious glares slowly turned more curious. Moroi who once went out of their way to avoid crossing my path, were now giving me polite nods of recognition. I knew she meant well, and I took the change in stride, but being forgiven hurt more than the cold distant reception I received when I first returned to court.

Passing by the church, my steps faltered. Pain lanced through my chest, as I forced my feet to keep moving. Shifting my eyes around the path, making sure no one noticed, I called myself an idiot for the thousandth time since that day. At the time I had half convinced myself I had been so loathsome for the greater good. Rose had a future ahead of her that could not include me. People like her, they deserved the best, and I had already taken so much, the least I could do was give her back her life.

Shamefully, my admission that day had not been far from the truth. Numb, confused, and full of self-hatred, I could not feel anything but my own depression. Rose had refused to listen, and no matter how hard I pushed, she only pushed back harder. Until I felt myself pushed into a corner and felt the only way I could escape was to completely destroy the only reason she fought so hard.

By doing so, I also destroyed the future she had been destined for. And that by far, was my greatest sin.

Seeing it was in the middle of the moroi night, the gym was mostly deserted, except for a few tired attendants. Using my key-card to gain entrance, I wasted no time hitting the mats to stretch my strained muscles. Several sleepless nights left my body tense, and my muscles screamed in protest. Ignoring the strain, I pushed through clearing my mind with each new position. Sometimes it worked, but tonight the ghosts from the past just could not let me be.

"_What's with all the running, anyway? I mean, I realize the importance of stamina and all that, but shouldn't I be moving on to sometime with a little hitting?"_

Swearing under my breath I pushed back the memory where it belonged and headed to the weights.

Rose proved to be a great runner, so good in fact that she had been missing almost a year. As far as the court was concerned, she ran because she was guilty of murdering Queen Tatiana. I never believed for one second Rose was the guilty party, not that the court's Guardians would listen to someone who had recently been strigoi, and my words had fallen on deaf ears. Not even Princess Vasilisa's plea for her best friend's innocence had been enough to sway the Guard, Rose had stayed on the list as the number one suspect.

And as long as she was wanted for the Queen's murder, it was best she stayed wherever she was. It meant she was safe. More importantly, it meant she was alive.

"_This isn't over. I won't give up on you." _

"_I've given up on you, love fades, mine has." _

Another ghost of a memory invaded my mind, nearly causing me to drop the dumbbell from my hand. Of all the things that kept me up at night, those careless words were a constant. They had effectively done what was needed, but in a way, I would never forgive myself for.

Moving to the mats, while shaking some of the burn from my arm, I tried to push the image of Rose from my mind. It was futile, but I suppose it was a fitting punishment, having her shattered look of disbelief taunting me for the rest of my days.

Positioning my body as I had done hundreds of times before, I let my arms raise into the air and started the first movement of Tai Chi. Usually the exercise helped, by bringing a sense of calm to my tormented soul. But today it seemed no matter what I did, or how many times I repeated the movements, I could not find the center I needed. Giving up, I moved to retrieve my bag and call it a night, seeing that the court would be waking soon.

Walking the path back to royal housing, my eyes landed on the last person I expected to see. Tasha was headed toward me, her hair tied back and a large smile on her face. After the way we parted ways the day before, I was prepared to be frozen out. The unpredictable attitude put me on alert.

"Thought I'd find you here." Suspicious, I slowed my steps as she headed in my direction. "Only you would wake up at such an ungodly hour to work out."

"It clears my head." Forcing the words, I watched as she fell in line with my steps and put her arm through mine. "I didn't expect to see you today."

"I know things were tense last night." Studying her facial features, I could see the strain around her eyes, but other than that I could not see any other sign of an impending fight. "So, I thought I'd treat you to breakfast this morning. Kind of an apology breakfast."

Feeling the sticky feeling of my shirt on my back, the last place I wanted to be was in one of the courts cafes. But my friendship with Tasha was one of the only things I had left in my life that kept me going over the last few months. Refusing her offer of an olive branch seemed beyond rude.

"I could use some coffee." I admitted.

"Coffee isn't breakfast." Tasha scolded.

"I need to be at Vasilisa's in an hour."

Tasha's mouth curved down for the briefest moment, and if the crease in her brow was any indication, she was considering her reply carefully. "You know, no one would think less of you if you took a day off."

"Tasha, can we not have this argument?"

"I'm not trying to fight." Looking like she really wanted to, Tasha forced a smile. "I'm just saying it's not healthy to work every day. Lissa has guardians, and seriously what's going to happen to her at court?"

Apparently, she wanted to have the same argument. "I made an oath."

Her feet came to a halt, and her hand on my arm pulled me to stop as well. "You made that oath when you were in a dark place."

"I know exactly what state of mind I was in." I could hear the annoyance in my words. "But my conviction still stands."

Hurt flashed through her eyes, but after a moment she gave me a hesitant smile. "That's what I admire most about you Dimka, your honor."

Apparently ready to let the matter drop, she pulled on my arm and I considered for a moment of bringing up the previous night's conversation. I didn't want to mislead her, giving her hope of a future that would never come. But I let it go, for now.

Moving again we made our way to the small café we usually ate at, that catered to moroi as well as dhampir. Opening the door, she flashed a smile and walked in. Following, my eyes paused on a bulletin board just inside the entrance. Rose's wanted poster was still up, a picture that must have been taken after she had graduated. I sent a silent prayer she was well. Tasha paused as her eyes found what had caught my attention.

"I heard the guard is following a new lead." Tasha said quietly. "Someplace in Iowa."

I snorted. The very thought of her being somewhere like Iowa was ridicules. "Rose isn't in Iowa."

"And you know this how?"

"Because Rose wouldn't be drawn to a place that doesn't interest her." Opening the door for her, I followed.

"So, they should be looking for her in more exciting locations?" Tasha asked, a thoughtful look in her eyes that I did not particularly like.

"They shouldn't be looking at all." I muttered. "Rose is innocent."

"Shhh." Tasha quickly scanned our surrounding area. "You can't say stuff like that in public."

I wanted to argue, but knew she was right. We had learned months ago to stop pushing Rose's innocence. The more we resisted, the more we were questioned. When the new Queen Ariana Szelsky approached Vasilisa, wanting to repeal the quorum law, it was made clear her support of Rose was impeding its reversal. After heavy debate, and several tears, it had been decided that Vasilisa could do more good on the council than supporting her friend.

From that point on, our views on Rose's innocence had become taboo.

Ordering coffee for myself and a light breakfast for Tasha we made our way to an empty table. The silence between us was grating, as I sipped on the hot beverage. After a few uncomfortable minutes I considered saying something, anything to fill the void, but just as quickly decided against it.

Instead, I let my eyes move about the café, as more customers arrived. The first were mostly Guardians, in a rush to get their morning fix before reporting to their posts. Some gave a polite nod as they passed the table, a few threw out a greeting.

"Have you spoken to Hans about being reinstated?" Tasha asked between nibbles.

"No." Sighing, I hoped she was not already preparing to revisit our previous conversation.

"I'm not saying –." Frowning, she set her muffin down. "I know you take your oath to Lissa seriously, but you used to take your oath as a guardian just as passionately. Reinstatement doesn't mean you won't be able to keep you vow."

Setting down the coffee, I felt a tension knot forming on the back of my neck. "That's exactly what it would mean. To be reinstated, would mean I had no say in my assignment. As you said, Vasilisa already has guards assigned to her, they wouldn't waste resources."

"Then I would lobby to have you assigned to me." Tasha exclaimed in frustration. "Dimka, I understand you're not ready to commit to a future with me, but you need to start taking steps for a future."

So many mistakes. Hearing her words, I knew I had not been clear enough the day before. Some mistakes I had no way of correcting, but this I could, even if it was going to hurt. Unlike the church, I could use softer, kinder words. "I can't be your guardian."

"Why not?"

"The only future I want with you is one of friendship." Direct, and to the point, I needed to leave no room for misinterpretation. "Maybe there had been a time, long ago, but we missed that connection, and with everything that has happened since, I will never see you as anything but a dear friend."

Tasha's face fell, and then filled with tension. "There's someone else."

"There's no one else." I believed the answer to be true, but something in my chest clenched, and I pushed it aside. "That's not my path in life."

"But there was someone." Tasha pushed. "When you refused my offer at Christmas time."

"Even if there had been, so much has happened this last year that it would no longer matter." Watching as storm clouds brewed in Tasha's eyes, I knew she was preparing an argument. "There is no room in my life for romance, or love. My feelings for you are of friendship, nothing more."

"There's no room because it's me." Tasha snapped. "Or because the one who you really want is currently on the run for killing the Queen. I overheard Christian and Lissa talking about your disgusting interactions with Rose."

Leaning forward, feeling my calm slipping I locked my gaze on hers. "You know Rose didn't kill the Queen, she had no reason to do so."

"I don't hear you denying a relationship with her." Tasha hissed. "She was your student."

"That is not up for discussion." Sitting back, forcing myself to regain control, I watched the emotions on Tasha's face. Anger and hurt warred, until she also sat back and stared at me. "I apologize if I gave you false hope, it was never my intention. I've always valued your friendship and hope we can remain friends."

"I do too." Standing, Tasha looked ready to say more, but instead quietly walked away, leaving me to feel a sense that nothing was going to be the same.

"Mind if I join you?" A shadow fell across the table, almost startling me. Glancing up, my eyes fell on the last person I expected. After a moment, I consented with a silent nod.

"Its been awhile." Lowering his tall form into the seat Tasha vacated, the man moved her half-finished plate to the side. "Do you remember me?"

"Ibrahim Mazur." As his name slipped past my lips, I recalled a conversation with Rose back in Russia, and that he had been following her. "You're well known in Baia, I believe you're well acquainted with my grandmother and mother."

"Yes." Flashing a large, fang filled smile, Abe folded his hands in front of him and sat back. "Yeva, certainly is a spitfire. Did she mention I came for your memorial service?"

Swallowing hard, I tried to keep my face clear of the emotions brewing inside. "Its been awhile since I spoke with my family."

Humming, he looked thoughtful. "I suppose that would be a difficult conversation, explaining how you changed back from being strigoi."

"I don't like talking about my time as strigoi." This wasn't the first time a royal moroi had approached me, asking personal questions I had no interest in answering. Ibrahim may not be royal, but he was well connected and rich, which made him just as entitled. About to stand and excuse myself, he held out a hand to pause my actions.

"Forgive me if my questions were too personal." He sounded anything but. "It was not the reason I approached you."

"It wasn't?"

"No." He nearly purred. "I wanted to meet the man responsible for ruining my daughter's future with moroi society."

His words hit me, and it took a moment to fully process their meaning.

"You're Rose's father?" I wanted to doubt his words, but couldn't, not when it made sense as to why he would've been following her in Russia.

How did I not know Ibrahim Mazur was Rose's father? The last I knew, her relationship with her mother Janine was turbulent at best, and she had no idea who her father was. The question rattled inside my head for a few seconds until another voice quickly answered. "_Because you refused to talk to her. Refused to talk about her with anyone_."

"Yes." He answered with his thick accent, his dark amused eyes studying me intently.

"It was never my intention." My words sounded guilt filled, and I cleared my throat and tried again. "I tried to keep Rose away after being restored, to ensure my past actions didn't ruin her position with the Guardians."

"Oh, you mistaken me." He smiled again, in a way that held no humor. "I have no ill will over her losing her spot in Guardian life. She has too much passion and loyalty to be suffocated by such trivial nonsense."

"All she wanted to be was a guardian." The argument fell from my lips before I could really process what I was saying.

"It was all she knew." Ibrahim corrected. "But that matters little. Now she's wanted for a crime she didn't commit, and that just won't do."

"Rose didn't kill the Queen." I replied darkly.

"I know that." He smirked. "You know that. But until those inept fools here at court find the one truly responsible, her life is in danger."

"Is that why you're here?" I hadn't seen him at court before. But seeing how well guarded I had been after being restored, and then my own self seclusion, I would not have seen him. Did he have information that could clear Rose's name? "Trying to prove her innocence?"

"Perhaps." He gave a casual shrug. "Do you have any information that could be of use?"

The last I had seen her I had been cruel and made her cry. I had enough self-preservation not to mention that. "My contact with your daughter was minimal before she went missing."

"Good to know." He answered dryly. "Perhaps I need to be a little more . . . precise. Are you covering for the real perpetrator of the crime?"

That was precise, and very to the point. "Of course not."

"Forgive me." He gave a casual shrug. "But I had to ask."

"Of course." I nodded, a little stunned. Growing up I had heard tales of Ibrahim, of his clever and ruthless nature. But nothing so far rang as sinister, which truth be told, put me more on edge than if he had just outright threatened me. He had the right to after all, but so far, our entire interaction had been surreal.

"Ah, here are my companions." Looking over my shoulder, he raised a hand to whoever had just arrived before settling his attention back on me. "Before we part ways let me share this. I am sorry you lost my daughter's love and regard."

His statement startled me, to be honest, I expected something more wicked and painful. Watching him rise, I tried to make sense of his words. "Why do you say that?"

Looking down at me, his eyes turned serious for a moment. "Because if Rose is anything like her mother, it will take a miracle to earn them back, and seeing you've already spent yours on your rebirth I doubt the fates would grant you a second. Have a good day Belikov."

Turning in my chair to watch him join his party, I blinked in confusion when Adrian Ivashkov and a short petite blonde greeted him at the door. After a quick exchange they left, leaving me with more questions.

Hurrying back to my suite, I quickly showered and dressed. Pulling my hair back into a ponytail, I rushed out the door, and made my way to where Vasilisa and Christian shared a suite. Nodding to Eddie who was on duty, I entered and found Vasilisa going through a speech she had been preparing to appeal the age decree, as Christian listened from his spot on the couch. From his pain filled expression, it looked like he had been subjected as an unwilling participant for quiet awhile.

"Oh, thank god." Sending me a pleading glance, Christian quickly rose. "Will you please tell her that the speech is perfect? If I have to hear it one more time, I may be forced to gnaw my arm off for a quick escape."

"I thought you wanted to help me with this." Dropping the paper she'd been reading from, Vasilisa leveled a glare in Christian's direction. "Queen Ariana says this speech is imperative. It needs to be perfect if I'm to sway the council to agree revisiting the Age Decree."

"They have to see how their stupid law backfired spectacularly." Christian smirked. "Rose would've been pleased -."

"Christian." Vasilisa hissed, cutting him off with a perturbed look, before turning an apologetic look my way. "You're here early."

I saw through her quick change of topic, and let it go. "Had an early start this morning."

Pity filled Vasilisa's eyes, and I knew I should have come up with something more convincing. Always one to be overly observant, she was the first to correctly assume when insomnia started to haunt my nights. I appreciated her concern, especially at first, but it was starting to become suffocating.

How was I supposed to be trusted with her safe keeping if she felt compelled to mother me. It wasn't her fault, it was mine, I should've said something long before now, but it'd just been easier to let her have her way.

"And you do know we can talk about Rose." Hearing Christian snort, my eyes moved to where he was still sitting in time to watch him roll his eyes. "Its not like we haven't before."

"That's what I've been saying." Throwing his arms up in the air, Christian was immediately silenced by another look from Vasilisa.

"What's going on?" Searching both their faces, I folded my arms across my chest.

"Nothing." Her quick response, and blushed face didn't paint the picture of honesty. Apparently, my expression expressed just how unconvincing she had been, because Christian snorted in response. Exasperated, Vasilisa sighed at her boyfriend. "You have been very clear on not wanting to talk about Rose, and outside of her disappearance and wanted criminal status, we've tried to respect you wishes." Christian cleared his throat. "Fine, I've respected your wishes."

"I've just endured her bullying over the last year." Christian muttered.

"I see." Sighing, I knew I had no one else to blame but myself. "I suppose your silence is the reason why I didn't know Ibrahim Mazur was Rose's father."

Both looked startled. It was Christian who recovered first. "How could you not know that? Everyone knows, like even that old strange man who talks to himself and smells like trash knows Abe is Rose's old man."

"Christian." Vasilisa cut in, her eyes wide pleading with him to stop talking. "Dimitri, you've had other . . . things you've been focusing on."

"Things?" That was putting it mildly.

"You know, your rocky future within the moroi court, your unstable mental state, a missing ex-girlfriend no one was allowed to speak freely about." Christian smirked. "Things."

"Will you please not do this?" Hands on her hips, Vasilisa stomped her foot.

"Are you kidding me?" Standing from the couch, Christian's face was filled with frustration. "How long am I supposed to stand by while you baby him like he's some kind of emotionally challenged cyborg."

"I can't believe you just said that!" Clearly stunned, Vasilisa turned toward me. "He didn't mean that."

"Yes, I did." Christian said. "I'm sorry, but it's the truth. I'm not saying what you went through didn't suck. But how long are we supposed to tip toe around your feelings? Are we supposed to pretend the last two years didn't happen, or that Rose has been missing whenever you're around?"

"Christian."

"Don't Christian me." He fumed. "This right here is the reason Rose left to begin with."

"Oh, not this again." I felt like I was watching a fight that had been rehashed several times.

"Lissa, I get you feel responsible for him because of the part you played in bringing him back. That your soft heart makes you want to protect him. But enough is enough."

Looking embarrassed, Vasilisa snuck a look in my direction, her cheeks pink in her anger at Christian's words. "Can we please talk about this in the other room."

"I'm not trying to be an ass, but it's exhausting." Sighing, Christian headed toward the door. "I need some air."

The door slammed and Vasilisa sent me an apologetic look. "He really didn't mean any of that."

"Yes, he did." I replied. "Don't be angry with him, he was just being honest."

"But he had no right . . ."

"He did." I sighed, the sleepless night and Christian's honesty was starting to weigh heavily on me.

"You're right, he did." Vasilisa said softly, her mouth fell into a frown. "But I'm still sorry. He tends to be very blunt."

"It was never my intention to place you in this position." Shame filled my chest. "What did he mean it was the reason why Rose left?"

Biting on her lower lip, Vasilisa wrung her hands as she stood silently for a moment. "After the church." Her words were so softly spoken, and I thought for a moment I misunderstood. But the pity in her eyes, mixed with guilt confirmed I had heard correctly.

My heart hit painfully against my chest and started to wonder how the life I had carefully pieced back together over the last year was beginning to unravel in just a few hours. "What about it?"

"You have to remember, I had used so much Spirit bringing you back, that I was a little unstable and lost my temper quickly over the stupidest stuff." Beginning to pace, she sent me a pleading look. I tried to remember her acting out of sorts during those early days, but all I could recall was how her calm steadied my raw nerves. If she acted out of sorts, I had not witnessed it. "I'd been trying to get Rose to back off, and when I heard what happened at the church, I lost my temper."

"How?"

"What?"

"How did you hear?"

"Tasha had been there and saw Rose harassing you." Vasilisa explained.

"Rose wasn't exactly harassing me." Pinching my nose, I felt a bubble of doom forming in my gut. "She was trying to get answers, and in return I had been cruel. I could've been more patient."

"That's not how Tasha explained it." She frowned. "I'm pretty sure Rose had been pulled inside my head when I was going off."

"You two have fought before." I said. "She never left."

A lone tear slipped from her eye. "Dimitri, she didn't willingly slip inside my head, I pulled her in because I lost control. I said so many vile and untrue things, but there had been so much Spirit induced rage inside of me I lost control. I freaked Tasha out so bad that she had to call Christian. It took him a few hours, but between him and Adrian I was able to calm down. The next morning Rose was nowhere to be found."

Blowing out a deep breath, I moved to the couch and took a seat. "What else do I not know?"

Looking startled, Vasilisa's mouth dropped for a second before snapping it shut. "I don't understand."

"So far in the last two hours I have learned Ibrahim Mazur is Rose's father, and I wasn't the only reason she left the safety of court. What else has been kept from me?"

"Dimitri, why do you want to know?" She asked softly. "I mean don't get me wrong, but you seem to be getting better, and maybe not knowing is better."

I thought about her words. Why was I suddenly so curious? I had let the last year pass by sitting on the sidelines. But sitting across from Ibrahim, having to see the disappointment in his eyes, made me realize I had been selfish. There may not be a future for us any longer, but she deserved better than she got.

"Tell me."

"We've been looking into the murder of Queen Tatiana."

"I thought you were supposed to back off that. And who's we?"

"It was suggested that I stop vocalizing my feelings on Rose's innocence." Vasilisa smirked, a habit she had picked up from her boyfriend. "And by we, I mean Adrian, Christian, Rose's father and Sydney."

"But they found Rose's stake . . ." In the Queen's heart.

Looking uncomfortable again, Vasilisa waited for a moment before replying. "They did. But what's not being said, is that when Adrian was looking for her, before we knew she left, he went to her room. Her stake was on the dresser. For whatever reason, she didn't take it with her."

"Why?"

Shrugging, she shook her head. "To be honest, Rose left a lot of stuff behind. Clothing, a new laptop, pictures. Its like she packed random things before she left."

She had been upset. Clearly not thinking when she planned her escape. "Who's Sydney?"

"She's a . . . she's an alchemist." Vasilisa admitted. "She helped Rose when she went to Russia. From what I know, she has some sort of connection to Abe."

I found it slightly humorous that someone as innocent as Vasilisa, called one of the most feared men in Russia by a nickname. I may have laughed if I had it in me. "What else?"

"That's all Christian and I know. Abe made it clear that he can't have a bunch of us making waves, in fact he made us promise not to tell Tasha."

"But you told me."

Looking very proud of herself, Vasilisa sat up straight. "He never said I couldn't tell you, so I guess you can say I'm taking advantage of a loophole. Very political of me don't you think?"

"Very." Unable to stop the smile I gave her a proud nod. "Does Ibrahim know where Rose is now?" If anyone would know the whereabouts of Rose, it would be someone with the resources of the Zmey.

"No." Shaking her head, Vasilisa sighed. "He tracked her to Detroit. After awhile there, she bought a ticket to Florida."

"She's in Florida?" I asked. I knew she wasn't in Iowa.

"She bought a ticket to Florida, but never made it there." She shook her head. "But we know for sure she left Detroit."

"What else?"

"What do you mean?"

"I want to know, what you and the others have kept from me."

"We didn't keep -."

Holding up a hand to stop her, I sighed. "This is my fault, not yours. I put you in a position I never should have. But enough is enough. I have put you at odds with Christian, and I can't ask that of you anymore."

"I don't know."

"Vasilisa please."

Shifting uncomfortably, she looked uncertain for a moment. "Promise not to get mad?"

Eyeing her as she gnawed on her lower lip, I couldn't fathom what she could have done that would make me upset. "Promise."

Looking as though she was on the verge of changing her mind, Vasilisa let out a sigh. For the next hour I heard every incriminating step taken to help me. I heard of Eddie's part in the scheme, of prison breaks and my strigoi self, crashing the party, allowing the escape of a very corrupt individual and his mentally unstable Spirit using brother. I did not say a word as Vasilisa came to her conclusion, her eyes barely meeting mine.

I felt sick. Sick that so many people put their lives on the line over speculation. Over a miracle that very well may not have succeeded. I knew without a sliver of a doubt that Rose's friends rallied around her, because they loved and supported her. That she had heard a far-fetched fairy tale and simply had to find out if it was true. It was Rose's love for him that pushed her to do the impossible.

And he had paid her back by spitting in her face.

"I didn't know." Swallowing, I winced at the lancing pain in my chest. "I didn't know because I refused to listen."

"So, you're not mad?"

Looking over to where she sat wringing her hands, I let out a huff. "I'm furious. At the danger you put yourselves in, and that a dangerous criminal is in the wind. But mostly I am furious with myself."

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**So there. Many wanted to see what was happening with the rest of the gang, here it is. Hope you all love, and thank you for the reviews. **


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: So apparently until all this silliness calms down, a weekly update is not in the cards. Work has been insane, customers have gone from praising essential workers to yelling at us again. But I haven't given up on this, just don't have the free time I once did.

I want to thank everyone for their awesome feedback. It really helps knowing that my little version of VA is being well received. I do want to apologize or any errors, I don't really have the time to go over the chapter multiple times.

* * *

"He's a dick." Slamming the door of my apartment open, I stormed in and threw my gym bag down near the kitchen island. "Seriously! How can you be friends with that – that - freaking ass?"

"That _ass_ is actually a really good guy." Rolling his eyes, Duke sighed as he shut the door behind him quietly. "I just think you two got off on the wrong foot."

"Wrong foot?" Nearly stomping across the room to the buttery soft couch, I slumped down and folded my arms over my chest. "I think he's trying to kill me."

Looking like he'd rather be anywhere else; Duke rubbed a hand down his face before taking a seat. "You're being a tad dramatic dontcha think? He's in charge of training when he's not in the field. He's training you, not killing you."

Fuming, I kicked my feet up onto the coffee table. "I know. He likes to remind me every day. Do you know he made me train with the fifteen year-olds today? Those little pervs kept staring at my boobs."

Looking like he was going to laugh, Duke struggled to keep a straight face. "You don't say."

"He told me that if I was going to act like a kid, then I had to train with them." This time Duke laughed, and I launched a pillow at his head. "Its not funny. He hates me."

Catching the pillow effortlessly, Duke wrapped his arms around it and rolled his eyes. "Jason doesn't hate you." He said. "He doesn't exactly like you, but he's a great trainer if you gave him half a chance."

I wanted to argue that Jason-freaking-Locke was the devil, but Duke was right about him being a great trainer. Jason was six plus feet of pure muscle and was probably one of the best fighters I'd ever seen. The first time I saw him, sparring with another Traveler I couldn't tear my eyes away.

Where Dimitri had been like some bad ass majestic dark god, Jason was the opposite with his stunning golden appearance. Jason's skin was sun kissed from his time outdoors during the day, where Dimitri's nocturnal existence kept his pale. My Russian mentor had long dark hair that nearly touched his shoulders, while my jackass new trainer's hair was nearly buzzed short on the sides and back, with longer hair on top he typically spiked in a military like style. They were night and day. Even though both created angry, dark feelings inside of me, I had to admit they were sexy beasts.

With amazing cheekbones. Totally unfair.

A fight between him and Dimitri would be something to see, and as loathed as I was to admit, it would be a close match.

"You spent an entire year drinking. Did you really think you weren't going to struggle getting back into shape?" When I didn't immediately answer, he shoved my foot off the coffee table with his.

"I know I'm out of shape." Hating to have to admit I was less than one hundred percent hurt. "He doesn't need to be such a dick about it."

"Jack will be back in a week." Duke sighed, seeing he wasn't going to get me to change my mind. "You two can bond on your dislike of everything Jason Locke."

This news brought a smile to my lips. Who knew I'd miss having Jack around? But hearing he also wasn't a fan of Jason was an added bonus.

It'd been almost two months since my arrival in Denver, and while I was learning the ropes of what it meant to be a Traveler, Jack had been back in Chicago helping with the evacuees. He'd called a few times to check in on me, every time sounding tired and strained. I'd told him about my new apartment, and how it had nearly taken a week for Duke and Jenn to convince me it really was mine.

I'd never considered I'd have a place that was all my own. At Academy, I'd had at least eleven different dorm rooms that always had the same dank smell, with used furniture that had seen better days. Of course, there had been the room Lissa and I shared once a lifetime ago, but even then, it'd only been temporary. The room at court was just a temporary stopping place until I was assigned as a Guardian, after that, I would have eventually been assigned a small boring room to return to.

Here I had an amazing apartment, with a western view of the Rockies. My bedroom was huge, with a queen sized bed that was like a comfy cloud, and a heavenly marble bathroom with frosted glass. Oddly, I was most proud of the kitchen.

Weird I know, seeing how easily I can burn water. But it wasn't one of those almost- kind-of-kitchens with weird miniature appliances. I had an honest to god real kitchen, with adult sized chrome appliances and a large island I could eat at. There was even a washer and dryer, stacked neatly in a closet.

Jack hadn't called since being introduced to Denver's douchebag head trainer. As far as first impressions went, I can safely assume I'd found my first archnemesis within the Traveler fold. It was bound to happen, not everyone treasured my perky personality.

"Alright, if you're done bitching about your lackluster fighting skills." The gleam in Duke's eyes made me want to punch him. "I was actually sent by my charming and slightly narcotic wife to see if you'll be at dinner tonight."

Tilting my head to the side, I stared over at Duke for a moment. "Don't I typically get my daily nourishment from mooching off you guys?"

This only made Duke's grin grow. "Funny you should say that. I mentioned the same thing right before she threw her brush at my head."

Narrowing my eyes at him, I tried to find any indication that Jenn had hit her mark. Seeing no telling signs, I leaned back. "Since when does Jenn send you to invite me to dinner?"

"Since she's throwing a dinner party." Duke scowls. "She wanted to wait until you were settled in before shoving all our friends down you throat."

I have to appreciate Jenn holding off. Its not that I wouldn't have enjoyed a party, especially one that involved Jenn's cooking. But apparently even I had limits, and as much as it hurt me to admit, the transition into Traveler living had been a tad bit overwhelming. It honestly took me weeks to fully believe their lifestyle wasn't a complete scam. That maybe, just perhaps, Jack was right. I had been brainwashed. Conditioned to believe my life wasn't worth the same as the Moroi.

But I was coming around.

I was working at Denver's version of the Gypsy. Unlike the one in Chicago, with its charming rank smell and dingy interior, this one was hygienically clean and somewhere I wanted to work. Located on a corner lot in a more affluent part of Denver, it not only saw to the needs of the Travelers but pulled a lot of business from humans as well. Set up more as a sports bar, with large wall mounted flat screen posted around the room. The bar itself was a large U-shape in the center of the bar, easily accessibly to the small kitchen that served lunch and dinner specials. Tucked in the back room, were four pool tables, that were in much better condition than the ones back in Chicago.

Instead of letting me loose on the patrons, Duke wisely kept me behind the bar. Not as a full fledged bartender, he wasn't stupid or looking for a lawsuit, but as a barback. A glorified glass washer and lemon slicer extraordinaire. Sure, there was a little more to it than that, but I can honestly say working there didn't suck. The tips weren't bad either.

I also learned rather quickly that the bar was kind of a front. Not in the bad mob kind of way, but more of a centralized location Travelers used to locate others, and where money funneled through to pay Travelers for their employment. Okay, so maybe a little like the mob, but not in the money laundering kind of way.

I think.

Everyone participated in advancing the community. Jenn taught the younger children. Duke helped with security. Jason-the-Dick, was in charge of Training. None of them got paid for this. They were expected to contribute. Its kinda how they earned their living quarters. I hadn't found my niche yet, but then again, I was training with the kids. Jenn assured me I'd have a position, but to enjoy the freedom while I had it.

Then there were jobs outside of the community where everyone earned their spending cash. There was a Traveler boutique a few blocks away, and a small café on 16th street also solely owned by Travelers. Then there were contracts they had obtained over the years through human owned companies. Sort of like a temp agency. Construction, security, even substitute teaching. The structuring was eminence, and the more Duke tried to explain it, the more my head hurt.

Honestly, the longer Duke talked, the more I was reminded of Abe.

* * *

Stepping inside Duke and Jenn's large, two story apartment, I was taken aback with just how people could fit inside. When Duke said Jenn was having a dinner party, I envisioned . . . well some sort of adult like gathering, where people sat around their dining room table talking politely about whatever normal functioning people talk about.

Not an actual party.

"Rose." Rushing across the room, Jenn looped her arm through mine. "There's a few people I want to introduce you to."

"Where's Chloe and Scout?" Searching the room for any sign of the tiny people, I felt a little dazed by all the strange faces looking back at me.

"They're with my younger sister for the night." Jenn grinned, as Duke approached and handed me a drink.

"Dinner party huh?" Raising a brow at him, I took the drink.

"There's food." Duke pointed to a table where a bunch of food was laid out. "And there's drinks" Lifting his drink in the air before bringing it to his curved lips.

Taking a sip, I rolled my eyes. "When you said dinner party I was thinking of something more . . ."

"More like a bunch of old fogies sitting around the table, nibbling cheese and crackers while sipping wine." Jenn smirked. "Geez Rose, we're not that old. Come on, there's a few people dying to meet you."

Duke saluted me as Jenn dragged me toward a group of people in the corner. "Everyone, this is Rose."

"So, it's safe to talk to her now?" One of the males asked, his long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, a wicked gleam in his eyes.

"Safe?" Looking to where Jenn was glaring, I felt lost.

"Jenn was afraid we'd give you some kind of nervous breakdown if we all descended on you at once." He his words had a slight southern drawl to them. "I'm Wyatt."

A scruffy looking guy pushed Wyatt to the side. "Don't buy that stupid southern crap, he thinks he's god's gift to all women."

"Shut up Ryan." Wyatt shoved his friend halfheartedly. "Don't listen to him darlin'. He's just upset he's got the verbal skill set of a Neanderthal."

"Gee I can't see why I kept you clowns away." Jenn sighed. "Ryan here is my cousin. Wyatt . . . well he's Wyatt." Nodding at the two males, she turned her attention the rest.

"That's Olivia." A tale exotic looking girl nodded at me. "And this is Tegan." The last one in the group sent me a dazzling smile before stepping forward.

"It's so nice to have another female around here." Wrapping her arms around me and pulling me into a hug, I sent a look at Jenn who only shrugged. "Jenn threatened us to keep away until you were ready, but I've seen you around, and let me say, I cannot wait to take you shopping. I mean, its not your fault you've been homeless and haven't been able to buy anything that doesn't look so schlumpy, Seriously, with a little work you could be passably cute."

"Jeez Tegan." Wyatt pulled Tegan away, shaking his head. "I swear there's something wrong with you."

Jenn leaned in. "Don't let Tegan get to you. She's got zero tact, but when push comes to shove that girl is vicious when it comes to protecting her friends."

"I dunno." Taking a sip, I eyed Jenn's friends as they bickered with one another. They seemed comfortable around each other, like their banter was an everyday thing, and it brought a smile to my lips. "I kind of like them."

"Jason." Wyatt grinned, and I groaned into my drink as one familiar face joined us. Apparently, I had spoken too soon. "This lovely lady here is Rose."

Eyeing the angry giant next to me, I smirked wondering if he would be able to pull the redwood sized tree out of his butt. His sea glass blue eyes shifted to me, and his mouth twisted down into a scowl.

Apparently not.

"We've met." He grunted, his mouth set in a thin unamused line.

Ryan sent Jenn a look of betrayal. "Seriously? I'm your freaking cousin and you wouldn't introduce me."

"He's training her." Jenn muttered, ignoring her cousin's dramatic outrage. "Seeing he's in charge of training. Of course, he met her."

"Training?" Wyatt raised a brow. "Thought Duke said she was Academy trained."

"She was." Dickface mutters, and the look on his face spoke volumes of how he felt for my Academy level of training. "She also spent an entire year not doing much."

"Listen darlin', if you need some one on one attention, I've got some time over the next few weeks." Sending me a wink he probably thought was panty dropping, I fought off the urge to laugh at the cheesiness of it. Pretty sure the accent was real, there was no doubt in my mind he used it liberally on the ladies.

When Olivia rolled her eyes at Wyatt's overly friendly offer, before sending me a look that pretty much confirmed this was an ongoing thing with him, I couldn't help but grin back.

"Oh, I don't know. Jason's been such a great help." I smile sweetly, batting my eyes where Jason was in the process of taking a swing from his beer. "Just today I got to train with the fifteen year-olds. I learned oodles."

A sly smile twitched on Jason's lips. "I thought you had a lot in common with them."

Wanting nothing more than to beat the smug look off his perfectly chiseled face. Clenching my fingers into a fist, I was about to swing when Duke ruined the moment by slinging his arm over my shoulder and yanked me to his side.

"Look at you, making friends." Pretending to swipe at mock tears, Duke looked over at Jenn. "I'm so freaking proud."

"I still don't see what the big deal was." Twirling a long strand of her chocolate brown hair around her finger, Tegan frowned as she narrowed her eyes at me. "She seems normal enough. You made her sound like there was some kind of damage that made her, I dunno weird or something."

_What the hell?_ Glaring up at Duke, I elbow him in the side and the jerk only snickered. For a split second I wonder what exactly they had told their friends. But then quickly reminded myself this was Duke and Jenn. While Duke was sarcastic, he was one of the most laid back persons I had ever met. Jenn was always trying to make sure I felt comfortable, never pushing and always there with a gentle smile. They were probably making sure I didn't make a run for it.

"Nah Teegs." Duke smirked. "There's nothing wrong with Rose. We just didn't want to admit we were friends with you jerks."

Duke's words barely made an impact on Tegan, as she smirked back at Duke. "I love you too dork." Her smile shifted as her eyes started to scan the crowd. "Talking about dork's, where the hell is Beetle?" Her question was directed at Jason.

"He's in the middle of something." Jason muttered, his eyes meeting Duke's for a moment.

"Did you just say his name is Beetle?" Not sure I was hearing right, I looked around the group who were busy avoiding my stare, then up to Duke.

"Yup." Duke put emphasis on the P.

"He's kind of our computer expert." Jenn offered from the other side of Duke. "He's a little shy, but a really good guy."

The rest of the night was kind of a blur. As Jenn pulled me from one cluster to another. It was a rather impressive mixture of Dhampir and Moroi, with an occasional Alchemist thrown in the mix. With each introduction it was becoming clear Jenn and Duke had been busy keeping the masses back, as I eased into my new life.

A few faces were familiar, I'd seen them at the bar, giving me polite nods but nothing more. A few others had even smiled in the hallways as we passed. They'd all seemed to be eagerly waiting for the word from Duke and Jenn, that I was ready, or whatever.

As the night progressed, I'd been introduced to more people than I'd ever be able to remember. Jenn's father, Denver's elder, and mother had even stopped by for a few minutes. I had already met them a few times already. It was easy to see Jenn got her kindness from her mother, both were slightly quirky, and just had a way to put everyone at ease. Jenn's father was a tall, brute of a man, who looked intimidating on the outside, but underneath was a gooey marshmallow to his friends and family.

It was Jenn's parents who had pushed through my housing assignment so quickly and had me working and training within days of my arrival. It'd become quite evident that not all Traveler cities were created equal.

Like Denver's Gypsy, the Traveler's compound in the Mile High city were much more appealing. There were five large brick warehouses on the north side of town, taking up the same block. Large courtyards between each building weren't just well maintained gardens but were used as gathering spots through out the day.

First thing I learned about this circle, was they thrived in the outdoors. Even the Moroi would rather be outside in the shadier courtyards. But it didn't stop there. It wasn't uncommon to hear about groups of Dhampir conjugating at the local parks for pick up games of soccer, volleyball, or hoops. Many would travel west into the Rockies on their days off for camping, or simple day trips of hiking. Vegging out during downtime was almost unheard of.

Letting my eyes roam around the room, it was easy to see the comradeship. I'm not saying that they were standing around in a friendship circle, hugging one another, while singing kumbaya. But more of a underlying understanding, acceptance, and hard earned trust. There was a feeling of closeness.

It was a feeling I once had, with friends who I believed would always be by my side. I missed feeling that tight knit closeness. Of knowing no matter how crazy my plans were, they always had my back. Just like how I had theirs, even when they did amazingly stupid things.

Watching, I couldn't help but wonder if I would someday feel that closeness again.

More importantly, would I ever allow myself to trust that wholly again?

* * *

After nearly a year of impersonating a drunken sloth, I was frustratingly out of shape. Worse even than the time Lissa and I took off.

After a week of having Jason kick my ass into the mats, I knew I needed to revisit my previous training program. So, every morning, I forced myself out of bed blurry eyed and went for a jog around the neighborhood. Pushing myself to complete five miles quicker than the previous day.

It was helping but not enough.

"For fucksake, Hathaway." Jason barked from the end of the mat, pinching his nose in frustration as I tried to suck air back into my lungs. Personally, I don't know what got his panties in a wad, I lasted longer this time around. "How many times do I need to tell you? Keep your elbow close to your side. Do you like having your ribs bruised?"

"Honestly?" Blowing a piece of hair from my face, while trying to swallow the groan of pain as I rolled onto my knees and stood on shaky legs. "Not even on my top five."

My words didn't even crack a smile, and I was starting to wonder if dickface had his sense of humor surgically removed at some point in his life. I did manage to get him to roll his eyes, and not chew my face off, so that's progress I suppose.

Moving onto the mat, he nodded at the amazon he paired me with to take her stance. Stopping somewhere behind me, he kicked one of feet a few inches to the right, before clamping his hands on my hips and realigning them. Finally, with immense irritation he arranged my arm downward, closer to my side.

"This is the correct stance. Think you can handle it? Should I draw a picture?" He all but muttered, before stomping off.

"Wouldn't be surprised if he drew it in crayon." Trying to joke with my soon to be assailant, it didn't shock me when she didn't respond.

After training with the fifteen year-old's the day before, Jason had oh so gracefully allowed me to train with someone more my age. Too bad she was closely related to whatever amazon tribe Wonder Woman came from and towered over me by nearly a foot.

"Again." Barking from the sidelines, Jason folded his arms over his chest.

The words were barely out of his mouth when my partner, Holly was swinging her beefy branch like arms, once again going for my already tender side. It seemed to be the only move in her repertoire, and I really wished she'd find another way to beat the crap out of me.

Totally tired of having my ass handed to me, I decided to give dickface's advice a try. Worst thing that could happen? I'd end up down on the mat again.

Keeping my arm lower than I am typically used to, I felt less pain upon impact and seeing how I wasn't currently on my back gasping for breath, decided to tempt fate. Using my speed against my opponent's massive form, I jabbed up toward her unprotected throat, before going for her knee.

Not entirely sure who was more shocked. Me, Jason, or Holly.

Holly fell fast, her cry of surprise brought attention to us, as the room paused and watched as the much taller girl went down. Her hands gripping her knee, as she tried to gasp for breath.

Jason had a stunned look on his face, as though he couldn't believe his eyes. Then his face closed off, as suspicious eyes shifted from Holly to me, and after a tense moment of wondering if he was going to bite my head off, he gave a curt nod.

"Not bad." He muttered. "Would've been nice if you'd done that weeks ago, and not wasted my time."

He really needed to work on his motivational speeches.

"Not bad?" Another voice came from behind. "That was impressive."

With a huge grin on my face, I turned to see Jack smirking at me from the edge of the mat.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: On vacation for the next two wonderful weeks. Thank you to everyone who took the time to leave me a review, it means a lot to me that you took the time to do so. Never fear, everyone will see one another again. For those who expressed not wanting to see Rose easily forgiving, or forgetting that be the case. But I also don't intend for our girl to be over the top dramatic. I am hoping this to be an addition to the wonderful world of Vampire Academy, but also one about personal growth. Of course what I want and what I am able to communicate are two different things.

* * *

Though Vasilisa's speech was well-written, and thought out, from my position I could see her plea was falling on deaf ears. The only member on the royal court who paid even the slightest bit of attention was Queen Ariana. The others weren't exactly ignoring Vasilisa, but from the scowls on their faces, appeared to deem her request pointless and a total waste of their time.

Taking a cautious glance toward the audience, I noticed split reactions. Some nodded in agreement, supporting Vasilisa's views on how utilizing children for protection was beyond cruel, bordering on barbaric. Unfortunately, most were not Royal, nor in a high enough position to receive protection from a Guardian. As the attacks on Royal families had seen a drastic decline over the last year, there was no valid reason to further support such drastic measures.

At the conclusion of her speech, she looked over the silent audience.

"It's always refreshing to hear from our youngest, and most inexperienced member of our council." Standing up, Rufus Tarus sent Vasilisa a simpering smile as he joined her at the podium. "In a perfect world, we wouldn't be pressed to take such drastic measures. Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world, which we have witnessed over the last few years. Something I would think you would know all about Princess Vasilisa."

Grimacing at the slight dig, a reminder to the audience of Vasilisa's ties to the individual who was suspected in killing their Queen. Or to me, who had led a small Strigoi army practically to the court's front door. I watched as the Princess clenched her jaw and forced a smile on her face.

Rufus wasn't a huge fan of me or Vasilisa and fought to the bitter end against allowing the Princess to have her seat with the Royal Court. He'd made it very clear he thought I was still a threat. As if at any second my eyes would turn from brown to blood red, while tearing through the court one throat at a time.

"But the truth of the matter is Moroi are being hunted down, and we are forced to make hard decisions." Nearly pushing Vasilisa to the side, Rufus took center state. "We are not equipped to fight off our enemy. I know Tasha Ozera paints a pretty picture, having Moroi fight alongside Dhampirs. But let's be honest. It would take us years to reach the level of training required to fight off Strigoi."

"What of the rumors of the declining number of Dhampirs returning to the Academies for training." One brave soul stood up in the audience.

Rufus frowned at the interruption. "We have no conclusive proof of declining number of Dhampir students."

"Well how about the proof from my daughter and son, who said many of her classmates didn't return last year, and even more are missing this one." The individual countered, clearly not allowing Rufus to downgrade the issue at hand.

Looking flustered, Rufus looked back at the Queen, before turning back to the audience. "We knew there would be some who would shirk their responsibility, and we are currently looking into ways to ensure Dhampir's are fulfilling their duty to the Moroi."

The Royal's words sent a blinding flare of rage shooting through me. His words treading way too close to sounding as if Dhampir's had no free will. This was what I had been afraid of ever since I'd heard of the new decree.

The crowd in the room went silent for a moment, as though they were unsure they'd heard correctly, but soon a low murmuring flowed, until voices started shouting back at a startled looking Rufus. He seemed to be confused as to how his words would incite such a reaction. Sending one of the Royal Guardians a pleading look to do something, anything to regain the previous peace, he came to the quick conclusion he wouldn't be receiving any aide.

With a deep scowl, he lifted his hands up to signal for the crowd to calm down. I couldn't stop the smirk on my mouth when his actions went unnoticed. Shifting my attention to where Vasilisa stood, I could see she was trying to formulate a way to shift the current situation back to her original petition, to reverse the Age Decree.

Her frantic expression locked with Christian's irritated one, and after a few seconds he could only shrug.

"Silence!" Rufus finally explodes. "Or we'll clear the room."

He had no way of following through on his statement, seeing that none of the Guards seemed slightly interested in stepping in. But it seemed no one else noticed, and soon the room quieted down.

"We are in the middle of a crisis." As soon as he knew he had their attention, Rufus started in again. "And we need to stand together to ensure our existence."

"Yes, we are." Tasha rose form her chair. Her dark hair was pulled back, her pretty face tense with anger as she stared Rufus down for a moment. "In the middle of a crisis. It seems we've been in the dark about losing even more Guardians. When were we going to find out about Dhampirs not returning to the Academies for training?"

Narrowing my eyes at her, trying to figure out her angle, I felt a sick feeling inside my stomach. I'd seen her in a rage before over the court's current agenda. In the past she would nearly tremble with fury, but now she seemed nearly smug. As if an opening had presented itself that she'd been patiently waiting for.

"Ms. Ozera, this is not the time for one of your delusional conspiracy theories." With a dramatic roll of his eyes, Rufus smirked when some of the audience started snickering.

Not put off by his insult, Tasha simpered back at him. "So, you're telling us that there is no issue with Dhampir attendance at the Academies?" Folding her arms over her chest, she tilted her head to the side. "That if someone were to – let's say reach out and request enrollment numbers, we'd see there's nothing at all to worry about?"

Swinging my attention back to Rufus I frowned when his face turned an unattractive purple.

Tasha took advantage of his inability to quickly respond. "So, I'll take your silence as confirmation that there is an actual issue."

"A few missing students doesn't mean anything." Clearly losing his cool, as well as his control, Rufus nearly snarled this last response.

"Can you define a few?" Tasha smirked. "Ten? Maybe twenty?" Turning to look around the audience, she locked eyes with several of the members. "Would that be ten or twenty per Academy? Because with eight Academies just in the states, that's eighty or a hundred and sixty students in the last year. If this is true, then where are they?"

"Again, this is all speculation." Rufus snapped when it was clear Tasha had the ear of the audience.

"We're talking about fifteen and sixteen year old kids." Tasha pushed back. "They don't have money, they don't have social security numbers. Who's taking care of them? Because I don't know about the rest of you." Turning to take a look around the room, Tasha waited a beat of a moment. "But I haven't heard of anyone's assigned Guardians leaving their posts."

She had a fairly good point; one I have to admit I hadn't thought of. Then again, I hadn't realized so many students may not have returned to the Academies.

It appeared the rest of the room was starting to think the same thing.

Someone stood up in the back of the room. I didn't recognize him. "What about the Travelers?"

The audience broke out into laughter.

Rufus barked out in laughter as well, as he turned to look at the other Royals sitting behind him. Next to him, Vasilisa looked confused, and Christian only shrugged at her when she looked in his direction. I too was at a loss, as I let my eyes move about the room.

The only one who didn't look amused was Ibrahim Mazur, who was frowning toward Tasha. His brows lowered as he glared in her direction, before titling his head to the side, as though he were working out a troublesome puzzle.

"The Travelers are a myth." Still smirking, Rufus shook his head at the man in the back. "There is no secret Dhampir society."

"And you know this how?" Not to be ignored, the man remained firm in having his opinion be heard. "It would explain the rapid decline in Dhampir numbers over the last few generations. Would it also be so far fetched to think if they did exist, that they'd turn their backs on a bunch of kids who were treated like slaves?"

The stranger's words sucked the sound from the room, as he spoke out loud, what many had been thinking over the last year. No one dared move, as their eyes returned to the stage, toward their Royal leaders, waiting to see how they would handle the situation.

Vasilisa looked ready to flee the stage, as the mounting feeling of resentment filled the room.

Queen Ariana stood from her ornate seat and looked about the room with a frown. Moving to the podium she sent Rufus a look that conveyed her irritation toward the Royal.

"At no time have we ever considered Dhampirs to be our slaves." Her tone was calm, but her stern eyes moved about the room before landing on Tasha, then to the stranger in the back. "Both Moroi and Dhampir's play an important role in our society."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Tasha's smug look only intensified. Making me wonder if this drama had been practically orchestrated. "So, you don't think that forcing children into dangerous situations doesn't send the message that their lives mean less than those of the Moroi?"

"If you recall Ms. Ozera, I voted against the decree." The Queen's unamused tone was firm, and she was not in the mood for Tasha's behavior.

"But as our Queen, you have done nothing to see about its reversal." Tasha fired back. "Which seems to send a mixed message. If we're left confused over your views on Dhampirs, how are we to place our faith in you?"

My gut clenched at Tasha's obvious insubordination. Shifting against the wall I was standing against, I tried to reason her motivations. She'd known Vasilisa was slotted to purpose a revisit to the Age Decree today during court. That over the last few months the Princess had been working overtime to prepare. From reaching out to those who voted to enact the law, to working with those who felt the same as she. She'd stepped out of her comfort zone, as she passionately fought to dismantle a law Rose had been vehemently against.

But now, Tasha was riding the coattails of Vasilisa's hard work. I was starting to wonder what Tasha's intentions were, because from where I stood, she was calling into question not just the Queen, but the Royal court as a whole.

Meaning she was practically attacking Vasilisa.

Christian must have come to the same conclusion because his features shifted into one of pure hurt and betrayal.

"For all we know the Royal Court has kept the Travelers a secret as well." Tasha's expression turned into what I could only describe as victorious. Though what her position, or ultimate goal was beyond me. I'd never heard of these Travelers before today.

Having known Tasha as long as I have, I'd become pretty well versed on her.

There had been a time when I excused her exuberance to change the political narrative as a result of her past. Having watched as her sister and brother-in-law willing changed into monsters, that ultimately resulted in their deaths left a mark, literally.

"I cannot believe we're wasting time talking about fairy tales." Standing up from his chair, Ibrahim sent a bored look over at Tasha. Seated next to him, Adrian sent a lethal scowl toward Tasha as well. "Every decade or so someone brings up this nonsense, and the few times we looked, we came up empty handed. I know Ms. Ozera cannot help but to always insert herself whenever there's a chance at political intrigue, but for the sake of time perhaps we could skip back to the reason as to why we gathered here today?"

Tasha grimaced as a few members of the crowd snickered at Ibrahim's obvious mocking, but she wouldn't be swayed. "Just because they've never been found doesn't make them a myth."

"Perhaps not." Ibrahim conceded with a slight bow of his head in acknowledgement. "But even if they did exist, what would shining the light on them really do?"

"With their help we could stop sending children to their deaths." Tasha snapped.

Sighing, Ibrahim's mouth set in a firm line. "What makes you think this mysterious group cares enough to help? If they really do exist, it appears they do so far from the court." Turning his head to stare at Tasha head on, the older man's expression was angry. "You're wasting all of our time chasing after the equivalent of a unicorn."

Not one to be pushed aside, Tasha turned her full attention to Ibrahim. "Perhaps your daughter is currently being protected by these unicorns. You know, the one who's currently wanted for Queen Tatiana's death? Maybe that's why the court's guard has had such a hard time locating her."

Vasilisa gasped up on stage, pulling my attention from Tasha who was in a silent standoff with Ibrahim. Her face drained of any color, making her appear to be on the verge of passing out. The expression on her young face gave way to her anguish over hearing Christian's aunt's blatant condemnation of Rose in front of the Royal court and large audience.

This was obviously not what she had intended.

Her soft heart, and determination to do right to her missing friend, ignited a fire within her heart to overturn the ridiculous law. Instead, Tasha had somehow hijacked the session, and was currently unraveling her own agenda.

Christian had already risen from his chair, throwing his aunt a dirty look before turning his undivided attention to where the Princess was swaying.

Pushing away from the wall, I sent a glance over to Eddie, nodding when he took a closer position near the stage. His face was also tight with fury, but wouldn't let his eyes stray from his charge.

"Ah, yes." Ibrahim scoffed. "Another entertaining and far-fetched conspiracy theory from Tasha Ozera, the court's very own political activist."

"I don't hear you denying anything." Tasha's strained tone reached my ears, and seeing that Vasilisa was regaining color, I chanced a glance in her direction. She looked incensed. Her back was straight, chin lifted in defiance, and fists balled at her side. "Perhaps you're the reason your murderous daughter hasn't been located?"

"Enough." Queen Ariana's voice cut through the room, displeasure radiating off her delicate form. Her pale blue eyes cut from Ibrahim to Tasha. "There has never been substantial proof of the Travelers existence, and to argue over it is a waste of the court's time. We are here to discuss revisiting the Age Decree. Do either of you have anything beneficial to add in that regard?"

A low murmuring moved through the crowd, but with another stern glare from the Queen, fell silent. Ibrahim sent one last loathing glare toward Tasha before retaking his seat. Tasha looked ready to push her luck, sending a slight look toward the stranger in the back of the room, before silently sitting as well.

Something was happening. Something important.

Taking my spot against the wall, I watched as Queen Ariana sent Vasilisa a supportive look. "Seeing that we have wandered from the meetings intention, the council will gather privately tomorrow to discuss the matter." Turning back to the crowd, her look one would give to an unruly child, she shook her head. "I had hoped to conduct these meetings in an open session. But it appears to be a fruitless endeavor. This meeting is adjourned."

Spinning on her heel, the Queen made her way to the door located behind the council chairs. The rest of the Royals eyed one another, uncomfortable at their Queen's ire. Vasilisa didn't wait for the other Royals, and was currently descending the stairs to a waiting Christian. Already one step ahead, Eddie flanked her side the moment her feet hit the last step.

The crowd appeared unsure what to do, as they eyed Tasha, almost expecting her do something. But when she stood, head held high she moved down the aisle toward the exit, pausing only slightly when she approached the stranger's location, before breezing out the doors.

Watching as her figure disappeared down the hallway, I still wasn't able to shake that sick, oily feeling coating my stomach. When she turned the corner, and was completely out of sight, I moved my attention to where Mazur was speaking quietly with his personal guard, his typical calm façade had slipped as he spoke with them. One responded with a sharp nod and pulled a phone from his jacket pocket and was speaking in a rapid, agitated manner. Another was moving toward the door, and if I had to guess, was on the look out for Tasha.

Adrian and the blonde joined Mazur, both looked put out and on edge.

"We're going back to the suite." Eddie spoke quietly as he ushered Christian and Vasilisa to the side door.

Casting a quick look to where Ibrahim was speaking to Adrian, my steps slowed.

Something was happening. My gut feeling told me Tasha's antics during today's meeting was just the catalyst she'd been waiting for. Over the last few weeks I could feel the tension mounting inside of her. I'd been egotistical enough to think it had been a result of my rejection to her plans for us.

Whatever it was, it somehow involved Ibrahim and his quest to clear Rose's name. The real question was how.

* * *

"Ready to give up?" Jack's taunting tone floated down to where I was currently stuck, and with a growl I lifted my face up to where he was peering down at me.

I wanted badly to give him the bird, but that would require for me to have a free hand to do so. Seeing how I was thirty feet up off the ground I wasn't in the position to do so without falling to my ultimate death.

"When you suggested rock climbing, I thought you meant the wall back at the compound." Gritting my teeth, I reached up to the next possible crevice and tried to use my upper body strength to pull myself up.

"Why would we do that?" Sounding utterly confused, Jack waited as I worked my way up to him. "We live in one of the best states, with unlimited locations to climb, and you thought we'd use a wall you can scale in your sleep."

Barely back a week, Jack was already pushing me to my limit. Both mentally and physically. It was a huge hit to my ego, that a freaking Alchemist was scaling up the side of a huge freaking rock like he was Spiderman. While I, a Dhampir, who was supposed to be physically superior, was struggling.

I'd missed him while he'd stayed back in Chicago, but now he was in Denver, I was reminded of the countless ways he frustrated me as well. For one, his odd therapy sessions. Unable to contain them to an office setting, he really upped the ante on the locations he selected.

Our first session had been at Elitch Gardens. A kickass amusement park right outside Denver. Not only did it have blood pumping rides that really got the adrenaline flowing. I was shocked to find the park also had several water slides and rides, but seeing it was early summer, we skipped the chance at freezing, and stuck with the roller coasters and other rides. I'd even won myself a ridiculously large pink pig at one of the carnival games. It was cheap, cheesy and absolutely appalling, but Clyde – the pig- had a permanent home in the corner of my bedroom.

We spent the day there, long after the sun set behind the Rockies and the park announced it was closing. It had been a good day, giving us a chance to catch up. I filled him in on how I was adjusting, not just with the Travelers, but to Colorado as well. He told me about Chicago, but also of the fallout from Detroit.

Apparently, Detroit was much worse than what had first been disclosed. It had been a bloodbath. Hundreds were dead, almost the same amount missing.

He'd done what he could to help, but in the end, knew it would never be enough.

Today we were at the Garden of the Gods. Located in Colorado Springs, near the Air Force Academy, the immense red rocks jutted out of the earth in an impressive formation. I spent nearly ten minutes staring at the imposing sight, before helping Jack with the rock climbing gear.

"Besides, I'd think after a few weeks training with Jason you'd be in tip top shape." His tone oozed with disdain. It seems Duke was right, Jack and Jason did not get along, not even in the slightest.

"You know, I don't need any help getting Dickface to dislike me." I couldn't help but mutter as I finally made my way up to Jack.

"Don't take it personally." Jack smirked. "Jason likes very few people."

"Yeah, well it's pretty clear he doesn't like me." I tried to shrug. "But he absolutely hates you."

The day Jack surprised me during training, Jason had nearly thrown him out of the gym. I'd been prepared to come to Jack's defense, the way Jason's body tensed as he moved across the mat to where Jack had stood. They'd exchanged a few words, and by that I mean Jason nearly chewed Jack's face off, before telling him he had no business interrupting my training.

Jack had remained eerily calm, his hands shoved into his pockets while Jason had a nuclear meltdown. But after sending me a smirk, and telling me we'd catch up after, Jack sauntered to the door.

"Yeah, we have history." Jack muttered. "And before you ask, it's none of your business."

"Who said I was gonna ask?" Miffed he predicted I was going to pry, I looked up for another crevice.

Hearing him chuckle, I resisted the urge to kick out at him. "You're face gives you away. You like to think you can play it all cool, but your emotions are always right there for anyone to read."

"That's not true." Feeling my mouth pull down into a frown, I caught myself and forced a bland look on my features. I wasn't able to hold the look long and decided to give in with grace. "So, what. I can't help that I'm passionate."

"I never said there was anything wrong with it." Jack said. "Makes my job easier."

Now I really wanted to kick him.

Instead I focused on finding another crevice. I was finding it slightly defeating how I was struggling to keep up with an Alchemist. As a Dhampir, with enhanced physical strength I should be the one in the lead.

Peaking a look from the corner of my eye, I watched as Jack pulled himself up, his biceps straining. It took me a moment to realize he wasn't just fit, but Jack was pretty buff as well. Wearing a form fitting light blue tee-shirt, that stretched snugly across his chest, I narrowed my eyes wondering how I could have missed this? Sure, I knew he was attractive, in an aesthetic kind of way. But it never occurred to me that he was hot.

It would figure my dormant libido would perk up after over a year, while I was clinging to the side of a large rock, forty feet off the ground.

"So, how's the cocktail holding up?" Clearly not tuned into my sudden epiphany, Jack looked down at me, his blue eyes curious.

In his typical ironic way, Jack thought he was being oh, so clever, when he named the herbal mixtures that helped me block the bond between me and Lissa during the day and kept Adrian out of my dreams at night. Seeing how I'd been boozing it up before meeting him, he liked to call my herbal aides a cocktail.

Freaking hilarious.

"Haven't had any problems." Glad to think about something else than how my libido decided to turn back on, while clinging to the side of a freaking large rock.

And I wasn't lying. Jack's herbs were doing their job keeping me out of Lissa's head, and Adrian out of my dreams.

Now if I could just stop my brain from wandering, recalling the past at the most inconvenient times. It wasn't like before, when I'd wallowing in anger and bitter feelings of betrayal. Nearly tormenting myself with every single memory I could recall. Now, it was more like I'd be doing something and out of nowhere a memory would invade my head.

Jack called it healing. I called it abuse.

"Heard Duke is taking you to get the tattoo tomorrow." Waiting for me to catch up, I blinked over at Jack's grinning face, as he pulled from me from my thoughts.

The tattoo was another sore subject, and the scowl I sent Jack clearly showed my feelings on that topic.

It wasn't that I didn't want the tattoo, personally I thought they looked pretty cool. I was more annoyed with myself on how long it took me to realize all Travelers had the same tattoo. (Apparently this was now an ongoing issue) Stupid, I know. Seeing that Guardians had special tattoos too, and they had been a huge deal to me at one time. But unlike the small markings on the back of the neck, Travelers used a compass.

Unlike the promise or molnija marks, Travelers inked wherever the hell they pleased.

Duke had his on the side of his calf. Jenn's was on her right shoulder. Jason's was on the inside of his arm, while Ryan and Wyatt had theirs on their wrists.

Inside the compass was an image, which identified which circle they belonged to. The circles who typically stayed in New England area had a small lighthouse in the center, while those on the west coast had something that looked like a wave. Our circle had the image of the Rockies, seeing it was the base of operation.

I would have thought New Orleans would've been their main city. But Jenn had explained the city was a little too close to the Alchemists, and they tried to keep their population there low.

"I'm putting it on my shoulder." Even though it wouldn't be visible unless I wore a tank, I'd liked the way Jenn's looked.

"And you're okay with the magic side of the tattoo?"

I paused trying to sort through my thoughts. Learning about the Travelers had taken a lot of faith on my part. Having to rethink beliefs that had been drilled into me since, like birth. But when Jenn and Duke explained an Alchemist used special ink with magical properties I simply balked. Vampires was one thing. Magic was another.

But after seeing a demonstration from another resident Alchemist, and how they were able to locate a member through the tattoo I had to admit there were things in this world I just didn't know. Where I wasn't thrilled my privacy infringed upon, it was nice to know that when I eventually got myself into some kind of trouble, I could be easily located.

"I wouldn't say okay." I answered simply. "But I can see the benefit. Especially if I ever get to be out in the field."

We reached the top and Jack helped haul me up the last few feet. Standing there on the peak, I looked out at the view in astonishment. Never had I seen anything so amazing.

"I love it up here." The words slipped out of my mouth as I stared around in awe. Sitting down next to Jack, I waited as he dug through his pack for his water bottle. He took a long drink before handing me the bottle. I'd forgotten mine on the kitchen counter, and quickly decided I was way too thirsty to care about his coodies.

"Just wait until you're up for the big climbs." Jack chuckled as he sat down next to me, resting back on his arms.

My muscles burned from our excursion up.

"Tell me about your parents." Jack words sucked the warm gooey feelings out of me, and I shot him a glare for tanking what was shaping up to be a pretty good day. For his part, Jack didn't look overly upset. "Don't look at me like that. This is still considered a session."

"Why do you want to know about my parents?" I was stalling. Mostly because I didn't want to talk about Abe and Janine.

"So far we've discussed your time at the Academy, your friends, and your ex-whatever." He said this last part because he was still hung up on Dimitri's and I's mentor-slash-mentee relationship. "But we haven't talked about the people who created Rose Hathaway."

"There's nothing to really know." Shrugging, I took another long gulp of water. "My parents met, did the nasty, and created me. When I was four, my mother shipped me off to the Academy to be brainwashed while they groomed me into a kickass guardian."

"Do you know your parents?" Jack asked plainly.

I took time in answering. "Yes."

"Not all Academy Dhampirs know their parents." Taking the water bottle back, Jack took a sip.

"My mom is Janine Hathaway." I mutter, waiting for the predictable look of astonishment. My mother was widely known for being not just a good Guardian, but one of the very best. But after a few seconds of him looking back at me with zero acknowledgment on his part, I blinked in surprise. "You've never heard of her?"

"Is there a reason I should have?" His brows lowered in confusion.

"I guess not." Astonished I wouldn't have to live through a fan-girl moment as Jack gushed over my mother, I watch him from the corner of my eye until I'm fully satisfied, he'd never heard of my famous mother. "She's a Guardian to Lord Szelsky."

Jack seemed to process this information. "Were you close to her?"

"Ah." Swallowing down my knee jerk response to laugh at such a question, I swallow it down and really consider a response. "She gave me a black eye after I royally pissed her off."

Giving me a stunned look, Jack raised a brow.

"I was kind of a bitch."

"So you didn't have a good relationship with your mother."

"At first, not really. But before graduation she'd been there for me for a few-." Swallowing harshly, I tried to banish the image of Mason's broken body from my mind. "She'd been there in Spokane when me and my friends were held by some nasty strigoi and again after the Academy was attacked. We had reached an understanding."

It had been more than that. After giving me the black-eye, we were approaching the verge of having a real mother-daughter relationship. When I'd skipped off to Russia, she'd been the driving force behind sending my father after me. It seemed she'd been frantic with my disappearance and was the first time I realized she really honestly cared about my well being.

I wonder how she was handling my vanishing act this time.

"What about your father?" Intuitive as ever, Jack's voice was soft and calm.

"My father?" Well damn, how does one explain zmey? "He's . . . well he's . . . interesting."

"Interesting?"

"Yeah. I met him first in Russia." Licking at my dry lips, I made a face as I considered my words carefully. "He's a businessman, who travels a lot. I'm not entirely sure what he does is all that legal."

"He sounds – interesting." Jack smirks.

"He has some sort of connection to the Alchemists. It's kind of how I met Sydney." That part wasn't entirely true, but in the end after she'd reached out to whoever it was, she reported to, it had been Abe's manipulation that had her sticking it out with me. "I was really just getting to know him."

"That's one of the things I never got." Picking up a small rock, Jack stared down at it before tossing it off the side of the edge.

Going over the conversation in my head, I wasn't entirely sure what he was referring to. He must have seen the confusion on my face, as he sent me a tense look. "Giving up their kids so strangers could raise them. I know I should just keep my mouth shut, and help you get past your old baggage, but its one of the things that really bugs me."

"Not all Dhampir's send their kids off to Academy like my mom did." Remembering Dimitri's family, I felt a little homesick, even though Baia was never really my home, it opened something inside of me.

Frowning, Jack shrugged. "The ones who don't are rare."

Biting down on my lip, I looked up at the fluffy white clouds before speaking. "Dimitri's family lived in a community where parents were a huge part of their children's lives. I used to look down on Dhampir women, bloodwhores, who turned their backs on their duty. But after meeting them and seeing what I had missed out on . . . well I couldn't help but wonder why my mom had done what she had."

"I've heard of those communities." Jack nodded. "They're more common in Russia and some parts of Europe, than they are here."

With all this talk about parents and kids, I wondered if this was the right time to ask the question that had been burning in my mind. A few times I'd been tempted to ask Duke but had a weird feeling about asking him. For one, I knew he'd give me a hard time, asking me if I needed to have 'the talk' about birds and the bees. Another reason that had kept my curiosity at bay, was it felt oddly personal. The last thing I wanted to do, was ask Duke any question about his and Jenn's sex life.

But, I couldn't just let this opportunity slip through my fingers.

"How is it that Dhampir's can have children?" Watching his expression turn smug, I narrowed my eyes and cut him off. "Yes, I know they have sex. But until recently I was under the impression that two Dhampir's couldn't reproduce."

"They've always have been able to." Jack sighed. "With the help from Alchemists."

"That can't be right. Alchemists hate us." The words flew past my lips before my brain caught up. Rolling my eyes, I quickly corrected myself. "I should say, the ones who haven't joined the Travelers hate us."

"Not all Alchemists are self-righteous zealots." Jack said with a frown. "And not all work for the group your friend Sydney seems to be associated with."

I really should've known.

For once I would love not to be the village idiot who had everything wrong. I'd been clueless about Dhampir-Moroi history, which in itself was uncalled for, seeing I'd spent nearly my entire life in an Academy taking boring ass classes. I'd been programmed to believe my life didn't hold the same value of the Moroi we were being trained to protect.

Simple facts, things I'd just taken at face value were being dismantled on a daily basis. Dhampirs could in fact get married, and from what I saw lived the very happily ever after kind of lives. They were able to choose their professions, their spouses, to have children, and where they wanted to live. Things I never believed I had the right to have.

Now the Alchemists weren't what I thought they were.

Was there anything in this world what I thought it was?

"You've got that look again." Pushing my shoulder to get me out of my own head, Jack's eyed me in understanding.

"What look?"

"The frustrated, off balance look you get when I take yet another truth away from you." For his part, Jack did look as though he didn't feel great about making me feel stupid I'd been snowballed by the universe. Again.

Taking another sip from the water bottle, I contemplated telling him I was fine and stop looking at me like I was some wounded forest animal. But knowing from experience it would only make him feel even more sorry for me, I kept my mouth shut.

Until I couldn't.

"Fine." I muttered. "I get it. I lived in a society that was screwed up and full of lies. And just for the record, how do I know you aren't doing the same?"

"Good for you Hathaway." Jack nodded in amusement. "Thinking for yourself. I approve. There's a a few dozen history books back at my office if you're interested. They're a little dry, and some are in Latin, but you should be able to breeze through them."

That sounded like absolute hell.

Feeling my face twist into a grimace, I quickly shook my head. "Hard pass."

Jack threw his head back and laughed. "Fine, but the offer always stands."

"So back to Dhampirs having kids."

"The simple answer? Herbs, mixed with a little magic." Jack answered slowly.

"Wait! That's it?" Feeling utterly betrayed, my eyes widened as I turned my head to glare at Jack. "What are you? Some freaky magical Band-Aid? Having problems with your Spirit Bond? Here's some nifty herbs. Some ex popping into your dreams? Not a problem! Here, take some more. Can't have kids? Don't worry, we've got a few more herbs and just a little magic to get those little sperm swimming."

"Technically, the issue is with the Dhampir woman's eggs -." Cutting him off with a look, Jack swallowed his words as well as the smile threatening to quirk at his lips. "I did say the simple answer."

"Fine." I ground out. "Long story."

"Okay, so remember how I told you there was a time when Dhampir and Moroi were equals?" I nod. "There was no shame placed on Dhampirs getting married and starting families, it was actually expected. It was rare for Dhampirs and Moroi to hook up, not that it didn't happen, because it did. It just wasn't common."

"Alchemists weren't always known as such." Jack smirked. "Some called us Druids, others Witches. Either way, before we turned to the Church, we were about keeping the balance. Balance between the supernatural world and the humans. Balance between the Moroi, and the Dhampirs."

"Back the train up." My mouth dropped as a huge grin spread across my lips. "Are you telling me that Alchemists are also tools of the Devil? Demon spawn from the ninth level of hell? I totally wish I was still talking to Sydney, because I'd never let her live this down."

"Yeah, yuck it up." Jack replied with a roll of his eyes. "Either way, we've always been there. And yes, at one time we helped within the court. With the wards, helping train Moroi to use their gifts and assistance in keeping the Dhampir numbers up, if you know what I mean."

"Sounds stupid easy." I don't know what I was expecting, but a simple answer wasn't it.

"Wanna know what's not gonna be stupid easy?" Jack asked, an evil grin spreading over his lush lips. "Getting back down."


End file.
